Spatially resolved study of the initial mass function of nearby galaxies in the near-infrared with WIFIS

• Grant number: 18/24389-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: February 01, 2019
• End date: January 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy - Extragalactic Astrophysics
• Principal Investigator: Claudia Lucia Mendes de Oliveira
• Grantee: Carlos Eduardo Barbosa
• Supervisor: Dennis Zaritsky
• Host Institution: Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Arizona, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 16/12331-0 - Galaxy evolution in different environments using spatially resolved kinematics and stellar populations, BP.PD

Abstract

The Initial Mass Function (IMF) is a fundamental aspect of galaxies, yet its determination in galaxies other than the Milky Way has shown conflicting results among studies in the literature. Some works in the last decade have indicated that the IMF is bottom-heavy in relation to the Milky Way, indicating that dwarf stars in those systems are more common than in our own Galaxy, but the same results have been challenged by other groups. Using a newly commissioned instrument, the Wide Integral Field Infrared Spectrograph (WIFIS), we plan to tackle the issue of the IMF in nearby galaxies using near-infrared spectroscopy to mitigate problems that arise when solely optical observations are used. Using a sample of 75 galaxies, we plan to determine the shape of the low-mass end of the IMF using both dynamical and stellar population analysis in order to constrain the IMF consistently, and give a new view to the subject. Moreover, we plan to use the large field-of-view of WIFIS to observe the IMF with spatial resolution to verify whether it varies as a function of the galactocentric distance, or if it is constant, following the pattern of the Milky Way disk.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BARBOSA, C. E.; SPINIELLO, C.; ARNABOLDI, M.; COCCATO, L.; HILKER, M.; RICHTLER, T.. What does (not) drive the variation of the low-mass end of the stellar initial mass function of early-type galaxies. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 645, JAN 8 2021. (18/24389-8, 16/12331-0, 11/51680-6, 09/54006-4)

BARBOSA, C. E.; SPINIELLO, C.; ARNABOLDI, M.; COCCATO, L.; HILKER, M.; RICHTLER, T.. A preserved high-z compact progenitor in the heart of NGC 3311 revealed with MUSE 2D stellar population analysis. Astronomy & Astrophysics, v. 649, MAY 20 2021. (09/54006-4, 16/12331-0, 18/24389-8, 11/51680-6)

BARBOSA, C. E.; ZARITSKY, D.; DONNERSTEIN, R.; ZHANG, H.; DEY, A.; DE OLIVEIRA, C. MENDES; SAMPEDRO, L.; MOLINO, A.; COSTA-DUARTE, M. V.; COELHO, P.; et al. One Hundred SMUDGes in S-PLUS: Ultra-diffuse Galaxies Flourish in the Field. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT SERIES, v. 247, n. 2, APR 2020. (18/21661-9, 11/51680-6, 18/24389-8, 18/05392-8, 19/11910-4, 09/54006-4, 16/12331-0, 16/17119-9, 09/54202-8, 16/21664-2)