Studying the radial variation of the stellar mass function in globular clusters ( GCs ) has proved a valuable tool to explore the collisional dynamics leading to mass segregation and core collapse .
Recently , Pasquato et al .
( 2009 ) used the mass segregation profile to investigate the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole ( IMBH ) in NGC 2298 .
As a relaxed cluster with a large core , M 10 ( NGC 6254 ) is suitable for a similar investigation .
In order to study the radial dependence of the luminosity and mass function of M 10 , we used deep high resolution archival images obtained with the Advanced Camera for Survey ( ACS ) on board the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) , reaching out to approximately the cluster ’ s half-mass radius ( r _ { hm } ) , combined with deep Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 ( WFPC2 ) images that extend our radial coverage to more than 2 r _ { hm } .
From our photometry , we derived a radial mass segregation profile and a global mass function that we compared with those of simulated clusters containing different energy sources ( namely hard binaries and/or an IMBH ) able to halt core collapse and to quench mass segregation .
A set of direct N-body simulations of GCs , with and without an IMBH of mass 1 \% of the total cluster mass , comprising different initial mass functions ( IMFs ) and primordial binary fractions , was used to predict the observed mass segregation profile and mass function .

The mass segregation profile of M 10 is not compatible with cluster models without either an IMBH or primordial binaries , as a source of energy appears to be moderately quenching mass segregation in the cluster .
Unfortunately , the present observational uncertainty on the binary fraction in M 10 does not allow us to confirm the presence of an IMBH in the cluster , since an IMBH , a dynamically non-negligible binary fraction ( \sim 5 \% ) , or both can equally well explain the radial dependence of the cluster mass function .