A binary star sequence in the outskirts of the disrupting Galactic open cluster UBC 274

Abstract

We report the identification of a numerous binary star population in the recently discovered ~3 Gyr old open cluster UBC 274. It becomes visible once the cluster color-magnitude diagram is corrected by differential reddening and spans mass ratios (q) values from 0.5 up to 1.0. Its stellar density radial profile and cumulative distribution as a function of the distance from the cluster's center reveal that it extends out to the observed boundaries of the cluster's tidal tails (~ 6 times the cluster's radius) following a spatial distribution indistinguishable from that of cluster Main Sequence (MS) stars. Furthermore, binary stars with q values smaller or larger than 0.75 do not show any spatial distribution difference either. From Gaia DR2 astrometric and kinematics data we computed Galactic coordinates and space velocities with respect to the cluster's center and mean cluster space velocity, respectively. We found that, cluster members located all along the tidal tails, irrespective of being a single or binary star, move relatively fast. The projection of their motions on the Galactic plane resembles that of a rotating solid body, while those along the radial direction from the Galactic center and perpendicular to the Galactic plane suggest that the cluster is being disrupted. The similarity of the spatial distributions and kinematic patterns of cluster MS and binary stars reveals that UBC 274 is facing an intense process of disruption that has apparently swept out any signature of internal dynamic evolution like mass segregation driven by two-body relaxation.

arXiv comment4 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

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