The initial mass function is the distribution of stellar birth masses. It records the mass scales selected by cloud fragmentation, accretion, feedback, and stellar multiplicity.
A Population II star is an old metal-poor star formed from gas enriched by earlier stellar generations. Metal and dust cooling let enriched gas fragment to lower masses than primordial gas under otherwise comparable conditions.
A Population III star is a first-generation star formed from essentially metal-free primordial gas. Limited cooling generally raises its characteristic fragmentation mass and favors a more top-heavy initial mass function than in enriched star formation.
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The Initial Mass Function (IMF) is a crucial concept in astrophysics that describes the distribution of masses for a population of stars when they form. It provides a statistical representation of how many stars are born within a certain mass range in a stellar population, essentially outlining the relationship between the number of stars and their masses at the time of formation.