The mass distribution of → pre-stellar cores
in → star-forming regions. The CMF is usually represented by
dN/dM = Mα, where dM is the mass interval, dN
the number of cores in that interval, and
α takes different values in different
mass ranges. In the case of → low-mass stars, it is found
that the CMF resembles the → Salpeter function,
although deriving the masses and radii of pre-stellar cores is not straightforward.
The observational similarity between the CMF and the
→ initial mass function (IMF) was first put forth
by Motte et al. (1988, A&A, 336, 150), and since then many other
samples of dense cores have been presented in this context.
For example, Nutter & Ward-Thompson (2007, MNRAS 374, 1413),
using SCUBA archive data of the Orion star-forming regions,
showed that the CMF can be fitted to a three-part
→ power law consistent with the form of the stellar IMF.
Recent results, obtained using observations by the
→ Herschel Satellite, confirm the similarity
between the CMF and IMF with better statistics
(Könyves et al. 2010, A&A, 518, L106; André et al. 2010, A&A, 518, L102).
Moreover, these works show that the CMF has a
→ lognormal distribution (i.e. dN/dlog M
follows a → Gaussian form against log M), as
is the case for the IMF at low masses (below about 1 solar mass).
See also: → core; → mass;
→ function.
