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Description
The dynamical escape of stars from star clusters affects the shape of the stellar mass function (MF) in these clusters, because the escape probability of a star depends on its mass. This is found in N-body simulations and has been approximated in analytical cluster models by fitting the evolution of the MF. Both approaches are naturally restricted to the set of boundary conditions for which the simulations were performed. The objective of this paper is to provide and to apply a simple physical model for the evolution of the MF in star clusters for a large range of the parameter space. It should also offer a new perspective on the results from N-body simulations. A simple, physically self-contained model for the evolution of the stellar MF in star clusters is derived from the basic principles of two-body encounters and energy considerations. It is independent of the adopted mass loss rate or initial mass function (IMF), and contains stellar evolution, stellar remnant retention, dynamical dissolution in a tidal field, and mass segregation. The evolution of the MF affects the integrated properties of star clusters. This data catalogue provides such quantities and also lists the evolution of the MF slope in certain mass ranges.
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