Evolution of the stellar mass function in open clusters from a universal and unsegregated initial state

Abstract

The stellar mass function (MF) and its spatial variation (mass segregation) within star clusters encode signatures of early formation physics and subsequent secular evolution. Yet, a coherent evolutionary picture remains elusive due to conflicting reports regarding the universality of the initial mass function (IMF) and the prevalence of primordial mass segregation. These discrepancies often arise from unresolved binaries, field contamination, and completeness bias. Here, we resolve these issues by analyzing 163 high-fidelity open clusters via a Bayesian forward-modeling framework. We reveal a remarkably simple initial state: young clusters ($\lesssim 300$ Myr) share a mean IMF slope of $-2.29$ in the mass range $M \geq 0.5 M_\odot$, consistent with the Salpeter slope but with an intrinsic scatter of 0.17, and exhibit minimal mass segregation at the onset of gas-free evolution ($\sim$10 Myr). This broadly universal "zero-point" for secular evolution disfavors star-forming scenarios that predict strong primordial segregation or significant IMF variations, and suggests that chaotic cluster assembly and gas expulsion efficiently erase any mild primordial inhomogeneities. By tracing the evolutionary sequence from $10^7$ to $10^{9.8}$ yr, we demonstrate that dynamical processing operates on distinct timescales: mass segregation proceeds rapidly via internal relaxation, whereas global MF flattening due to tidal evaporation becomes dominant only after $\sim$600 Myr. These findings impose robust observational constraints on the physics of star formation and early feedback and establish an empirical baseline for modeling secular stellar dynamics.