Star Cluster Mass and Age Distributions of Two Fields in M83 Based on HST/WFC3 Observations

Abstract

We study star clusters in two fields in the nearby spiral galaxy M83 using broad and narrow band optical imaging taken with the WFC3 on-board HST. We present results based on several different catalogs of star clusters in an inner and outer field, and conclude that different methods of selection do not strongly impact the results, particularly for clusters older than $\approx$10 Myr. The age distributions can be described by a power law, $dN/d\tau \propto {\tau }^{\gamma }$, with $\gamma \approx -$0.84$\pm$0.12 in the inner field, and $\gamma \approx -$0.48$\pm$0.12 in the outer field for $\tau \gtrsim$10 Myr. We bracket the difference, $\Delta \gamma$, between the two fields to be in the range 0.18$-$0.36, based on estimates of the relative star formation histories. The mass functions can also be described by a power law, $dN/dM\propto M^{\beta }$, with $\beta \approx -$1.98$\pm$0.14 and $\beta \approx$2.34$\pm$0.26 in the inner and outer fields, respectively. We conclude that the shapes of the mass and age distributions of the clusters in the two fields are similar, as predicted by the "quasi-universal" model. Any differences between the two fields are at the $\approx$2$-$3$\sigma (\approx$1$-$2$\sigma )$ level for the age (mass) distributions. Therefore any dependence of these distributions on the local environment is probably weak. We compare the shapes of the distributions with those predicted by two popular cluster disruption models, and find that both show evidence that the clusters are disrupted at a rate that is approximately independent of their mass, but that the observational results do not support the earlier disruption of lower mass clusters relative to their higher mass counterparts.

24 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, published in 2014, ApJ, 787, 17

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