Abstract

We report 0.″15 resolution near infrared imaging of the starburst cluster R136. Our 12.″8 × 12.″8 images were recorded with the MPE camera SHARP II at the 3.6m ESO telescope, using the adaptive optics system COMEO_N +. The diffraction-limited spatial resolution and high sensitivity (20th magnitude in K) of our observations allow our H and K band images to be compared and combined with recent HST WFPC2 data of R136. Fitting theoretical models to the observed magnitudes we derive the stellar population, age and dynamics of this starburst region. The radial variation of the mass function and the dependence of the derived core radius on the observed stellar mass range reveal strong mass segregation that is probably due to the cluster’s dynamical evolution.

© 1995 Optical Society of America