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 .