Comment on "An excess of massive stars in the local 30 Doradus starburst"
Sunday, July 29, 2018 - 08:47
in Astronomy & Space
Schneider et al. (Reports, 5 January 2018, p. 69) used an ad hoc statistical method in their calculation of the stellar initial mass function. Adopting an improved approach, we reanalyze their data and determine a power-law exponent of 2.05–0.13+0.14. Alternative assumptions regarding dataset completeness and the star formation history model can shift the inferred exponent to 2.11–0.17+0.19 and 2.15–0.13+0.13, respectively.