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Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto

Observations of the IMF in clusters

J. Ascenso

Abstract
Stars form from molecular clouds, mostly in clusters with tens to tens of thousands of members, and the mass distribution within these clusters, or the Initial Mass Function, seems to be invariable against many parameters and over a wide range of masses. However, masses are a very difficult quantity to assess, and the precision of our determinations of the IMF is systematically lower than usually quoted. I will discuss the process of determining masses from observations and the type of uncertainties associated with this process.

Computational Star Formation
(Eds.) J. Alves, B.G. Elmegreen, J.M. Girart, V. Trimble

Cambridge University Press

2011

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Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences

Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA) is a new but long anticipated research infrastructure with a national dimension. It embodies a bold but feasible vision for the development of Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Sciences in Portugal, taking full advantage and fully realizing the potential created by the national membership of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO). IA resulted from the merging the two most prominent research units in the field in Portugal: the Centre for Astrophysics of the University of Porto (CAUP) and the Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics of the University of Lisbon (CAAUL). It currently hosts more than two-thirds of all active researchers working in Space Sciences in Portugal, and is responsible for an even greater fraction of the national productivity in international ISI journals in the area of Space Sciences. This is the scientific area with the highest relative impact factor (1.65 times above the international average) and the field with the highest average number of citations per article for Portugal.

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