{
  "abstract": "The stellar initial mass function (IMF), which describes the distribution of stellar masses at birth, is a fundamental ingredient in shaping galaxy evolution. Recent observations indicate that the IMF varies between galaxies, depending on their mass, morphology, and stellar content. In local early-type galaxies (ETGs), spectroscopy, dynamics, and lensing reveal bottom-heavy IMFs in dense central regions, with radial gradients toward a Milky Way-like distribution in the outskirts. Yet, the chemical enrichment of massive ETGs implies a dominant role of massive stars during their early formation phases. These findings can be reconciled if the IMF evolves over cosmic time -- initially more top-heavy to enable rapid enrichment, and later dominated by long-lived, low-mass stars. Directly measuring the IMF at z>1 is therefore essential to test such time-dependent IMF scenarios, including variations in the dwarf-to-giant and stellar mass-to-light ratios. To date, no direct observational confirmation of these IMF variations -- or of their physical origin -- has been obtained. The SHARP spectrograph on the E-ELT, with unprecedented spatial resolution and sensitivity compared to facilities such as JWST, and broader spectral coverage than other E-ELT instruments, will enable spatially resolved spectroscopy of IMF-sensitive features in high-redshift ETGs up to z~3, providing unique insights into the origin of the non-universal IMF in massive galaxies.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2606.31189",
  "author_total": 12,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "F. La Barbera"
    },
    {
      "name": "G. De Lucia"
    },
    {
      "name": "F. Ditrani"
    },
    {
      "name": "F. Fontanot"
    },
    {
      "name": "P. Franzetti"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Gallazzi"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Gargiulo"
    },
    {
      "name": "M. Longhetti"
    },
    {
      "name": "P. Saracco"
    },
    {
      "name": "C. Tortora"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Vazdekis"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. Zibetti"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0e64qc57t41rb.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2606.31189",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "0e64qc57t41rb",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.31189",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "LicenseRef-arXiv-nonexclusive-1.0",
  "licence_label": "arXiv licence",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.GA"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2606.31189",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-04",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0e64qc57t41rb.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-05T15:20:56Z",
      "native_id": "2606.31189",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.31189"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.GA",
      "subfield": "galaxies"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Probing IMF Variations in High-Redshift Early-Type Galaxies with SHARP",
  "title_text": "Probing IMF Variations in High-Redshift Early-Type Galaxies with SHARP",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T21:20:26Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0e64qc57t41rb",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}