The Age Distribution of Clusters in M83
  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.
