A nonextensive insight into the stellar initial mass function

In the present paper, we propose that the stellar initial mass distributions known as IMF are best fitted by q-Weibull distributions that emerge within nonextensive statistical mechanics. As a result, we show that Salpeter's slope of ∼2.35 is replaced when a q-Weibull distribution is used. Our results point out that the nonextensive entropic index q represents a new approach for understanding the process of the star-forming and evolution of massive stars.