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Paper: HST/NICMOS Imaging of the Quintuplet and Arches Clusters
Volume: 186, The Central Parsecs of the Galaxy
Page: 329
Authors: Figer, D. F.; Morris, M.; Kim, S. S.; Serabyn, E.
Abstract: We present images, luminosity functions, and color-magnitude diagrams for the Quintuplet and Arches clusters obtained with HST/NICMOS in the F160W and F205W filters. The images allow the detection of stars over 6 magnitudes fainter than ever before and reveal multiple star systems in many cases where previous data revealed single stars; in fact, one of the original Quintuplet stars is seen to be extended. For the first time, we clearly identify the main sequence in the Quintuplet cluster, and we extend earlier detections of the main sequence in the Arches cluster to < 10 Msun. The fields are corrected for incompleteness using synthetic images based upon the observed number density profiles as a function of cluster radius. A tentative estimate of the initial mass function is given for the Arches cluster, finding that the slope is somewhat shallower than the Salpeter value.
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