Star cluster disruption in the starburst galaxy Messier 82
  Using high-resolution, multiple-passband Hubble Space Telescope images
spanning the entire optical/near-infrared wavelength range, we obtained a
statistically complete sample, $U$-band selected sample of 846 extended star
clusters across the disk of the nearby starburst galaxy M82. Based on careful
analysis of their spectral energy distributions, we determined their
galaxy-wide age and mass distributions. The M82 clusters exhibit three clear
peaks in their age distribution, thus defining a relatively young, log(t/yr) <
7.5, an intermediate-age, log(t/yr) $\in$ [7.5, 8.5], and an old sample,
log(t/yr) > 8.5. Comparison of the completeness-corrected mass distributions
offers a firm handle on the galaxy's star cluster disruption history. The most
massive star clusters in the young and old samples are (almost) all
concentrated in the most densely populated central region, while the
intermediate-age sample's most massive clusters are more spatially dispersed,
which may reflect the distribution of the highest-density gas throughout the
galaxy's evolutionary history, combined with the solid-body nature of the
galaxy's central region.
