Mass segregation and elongation of the starburst cluster Westerlund 1☆

Massive stellar clusters are the best available laboratories to study the mass function of stars. Based on NTT/SofI near-infrared photometry, we have investigated the properties of the massive young cluster Westerlund 1. From comparison with stellar models, we derived an extinction <file name="mnr_18068_mu1.gif" type="gif"/> mag, an age tau = 4 +/- 0.5 Myr and a distance d = 4.0 +/- 0.2 kpc for Westerlund 1, as well as a total mass of <file name="mnr_18068_mu2.gif" type="gif"/>. Using spatially-dependent completeness corrections, we performed a two-dimensional study of the cluster's initial mass function (IMF) and, in addition, of the stellar density profiles of the cluster as a function of mass. From both IMF slope variations and stellar density, we find strong evidence of mass segregation. For a cluster with some 105 stars, this is not expected at such a young age as the result of two-body relaxation alone. We also confirm previous findings on the elongation of Westerlund 1; assuming an elliptical density profile, we found an axial ratio of a:b = 3:2. Rapid mass segregation and elongation could be well explained as the results of subclusters merging during the formation of Westerlund 1.