We present the age distributions for star clusters and individual stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud ( SMC ) based on data from the Magellanic Clouds Photometric Survey by Zaritsky and collaborators .
The age distribution of the SMC clusters shows a steep decline , dN _ { cluster } / d \tau \propto \tau ^ { -0.85 \pm 0.15 } , over the period 10 ^ { 7 } \mathrel { < \kern - 10.0 pt \lower 3.87 pt \hbox { $ \sim$ } } \tau \mathrel { < \kern - 10. % 0 pt \lower 3.87 pt \hbox { $ \sim$ } } 10 ^ { 9 } yr .
This decline is essentially identical to that observed previously for more massive clusters in the merging Antennae galaxies , and also for lower-mass embedded clusters in the solar neighborhood .
The SMC cluster age distribution therefore provides additional evidence for the rapid disruption of star clusters ( “ infant mortality ” ) .
These disrupted clusters deliver their stars to the general field population , implying that the field star age distribution , dN _ { fldstar } / d \tau , should have an inverse relation to dN _ { cluster } / d \tau if most stars form initially in clusters .
We make specific predictions for dN _ { fldstar } / d \tau based on our cluster disruption models , and compare them with current data available for stars in the SMC .
While these data do not extend to sufficiently young ages for a definitive test , they are consistent with a scenario wherein most SMC stars formed in clusters .
Future analyses of dN _ { fldstar } / d \tau that extend down to ages of \sim few million years are needed to verify the age relationship between stars residing in clusters and in the field .