Constraining the Stellar Mass Function in the Galactic Center via Mass Loss from Stellar Collisions

Figure 13

The total mass loss rate contributing the 2–10 keV flux (calculated from (26)) as a function of 𝑀_min and 𝛼. The solid contours are on a logarithmic scale and are limited from above at 10⁻⁵𝑀_⊙yr⁻¹. The line contours are on a linear scale and are separated by intervals of 1.5×10⁻⁶𝑀_⊙yr⁻¹. The thick line denotes the 1×10⁻⁵𝑀_⊙yr⁻¹ contour. The dashed line is a 3rd-order polynomial fit which represents the absolute allowed upper limit of 𝑀_min as a function of 𝛼. The coefficients of this polynomial are 21.71, −42.37, 25.33, and −4.27 for 𝑎₀ to 𝑎₃, respectively.