Paper detail

Star cluster disruption in the starburst galaxy Messier 82

Using high-resolution, multiple-passband Hubble Space Telescope images spanning the entire optical/near-infrared wavelength range, we obtained a statistically complete sample, $U$-band selected sample of 846 extended star clusters across the disk of the nearby starburst galaxy M82. Based on careful analysis of their spectral energy distributions, we determined their galaxy-wide age and mass distributions. The M82 clusters exhibit three clear peaks in their age distribution, thus defining a relatively young, log(t/yr) < 7.5, an intermediate-age, log(t/yr) $\in$ [7.5, 8.5], and an old sample, log(t/yr) > 8.5. Comparison of the completeness-corrected mass distributions offers a firm handle on the galaxy&#39;s star cluster disruption history. The most massive star clusters in the young and old samples are (almost) all concentrated in the most densely populated central region, while the intermediate-age sample&#39;s most massive clusters are more spatially dispersed, which may reflect the distribution of the highest-density gas throughout the galaxy&#39;s evolutionary history, combined with the solid-body nature of the galaxy&#39;s central region.