A new method to create initially mass segregated star clusters in virial equilibrium

Mass segregation stands as one of the most robust features of the dynamical evolution of self-gravitating star clusters. In this paper we formulate parametrized models of mass segregated star clusters in virial equilibrium. To this purpose we introduce mean interparticle potentials for statistically described unsegregated systems and suggest a single-parameter generalization of its form which gives a mass segregated state. We describe an algorithm for construction of appropriate star cluster models. Their stability over several crossing-times is verified by following the evolution by means of direct N-body integration.