On the upper limit on stellar masses in the Large Magellanic Cloud cluster R136

Abstract

A truncated power-law distribution is fitted to the 29 largest stellar masses known in R136. Two different statistical techniques are used, with comparable results. An upper limit to the mass distribution of the order of 140-160 M⊙ is derived, while the power-law exponent is in the approximate range 0.9-1.7. A power-law distribution with no upper limit on the mass can be rejected with considerable confidence. It is recommended that the calculations be repeated when more reliable mass estimates are available. © 2005 RAS.