Pamela Freeman edited untitled.tex  about 8 years ago

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\section{Introduction}  Star formation of all mass occurs in molecular clouds. In particular, they are almost exclusively formed in giant molecular clouds (GMCs) characterized by a cloud mass >10$^5$ M$_\odot$ \cite{Fukui_2010}. The formation and distribution of molecular clouds then impacts galactic structure and evolution by influencing the formation and distribution of stars \cite{Fukui_2010}. \citet{Adamo_2015} studied the distribution of star clusters in M83, a spiral galaxy 4.5 Mpc away. M83 has been extensively analyzed in this regard, but with the fullest to date catalog of clusters. clusters  \citet{Adamo_2015} found the initial cluster mass function followed a power law with slope -2 and had a truncation on the high-mass end that decreased with distance from the center of the galaxy. It is suggested that the galactic environment limits the formation of high mass clusters, possibly due to the limit on the formation of high mass molecular clouds \cite{Adamo_2015}. We are looking at the mass distribution of molecular clouds in M83 to see if the same function is shown as in the stellar clusters.