The Mass of the Most Massive Star in Stellar Clusters Determined from 25 Million MASSCLEAN Monte Carlo Simulations

Is there a maximum universal stellar mass, or might the maximum stellar mass in a cluster be tied to the mass of the associated cluster? Direct measurements of the maximum stellar mass of hundreds of young stellar clusters would help us to answer this fundamental question. However, such information does not presently exist. We are mindful that the most massive star in a stellar cluster can have a strong influence on the integrated magnitudes and colors of their host stellar cluster, especially clusters in the low-mass range. Thinking strategically, this color variation provides us with a mechanism for divulging the properties of that most massive star. We performed 25 million MASSCLEAN Monte Carlo simulations of stellar clusters in the 200-1000 Mo range in the U, B and V bands. These simulations were then used to estimate the mass of the most massive star for 40 young, low-mass LMC clusters. In a similar way, the integrated colors and magnitudes in VISTAs Z, Y, J, H, and K_s bands can also be used to estimate the mass of the most massive star in VISTA-identified stellar clusters. Is the IMF for one hundred young 1000 Mo clusters the same at the high end as ten young 10,000 Mo clusters? Using the VISTAs clusters, we intend to answer the question: ``Does the lower mass of a stellar cluster artificially steepen the high-mass IMF?''