The Age Distribution of Clusters in M83

Abstract: In order to empirically determine the timescale and environmental dependence of stellar cluster disruption, we have undertaken an analysis of the unprecedented multi-pointing (seven), multi-wavelength (U, B, V, H$\alpha$, and I) Hubble Space Telescope imaging survey of the nearby, face-on spiral galaxy M83. The images are used to locate stellar clusters and stellar associations throughout the galaxy. Estimation of cluster properties (age, mass, and extinction) was done through a comparison of their spectral energy distributions with simple stellar population models. We constructed the largest catalog of stellar clusters and associations in this galaxy to-date, with ~1800 sources with masses above ~5000 M$_{\odot}$ and ages younger than ~300 Myr. In the present letter, we focus on the age distribution of the resulting clusters and associations. In particular, we explicitly test whether the age distributions are related with the ambient environment. Our results are in excellent agreement with previous studies of age distributions in the centre of the galaxy, which gives us confidence to expand out to search for similarities or differences in the other fields which sample different environments. We find that the age distribution of the clusters inside M83 varies strongly as a function of position within the galaxy, indicating a strong correlation with the galactic environment. If the age distributions are approximated as a power-law of the form $dN/dt \propto t^{\zeta}$, we find $\zeta$ values between 0 and -0.62 ( $\zeta$~-0.40 for the whole galaxy), in good agreement with previous results and theoretical predictions.