H. S Das | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

Discovery of an Unbound Flyby Companion of UBC 63: In the Immediate Aftermath of a Close Encounter

We re-investigate the open cluster UBC 63 using the Gaia DR3 data and show that, rather than being a single cluster as previously classified, it is a compelling candidate for a double cluster undergoing an unbound flyby interaction. A GMM decomposition performed in the 5D astrometric space reveals the two statistically distinct components, namely UBC 63A (98 members, Age = 21 $\pm$ 4 Myr) and UBC 63B (148 members, Age = 562 $\pm$ 43 Myr). A significant age difference of $Δ\mathrm{Age} = 541 \pm 43$ Myr between the clusters, rules out coeval formation. Their 3D separation of $60 \pm 29$ pc at the birth-epoch of the younger cluster, indicates that the clusters might have originated from the same molecular cloud complex. At present, the system exhibits a 3D separation of $26 \pm 8$ pc, with a relative velocity of $3.60 \pm 1.80$ km s$^{-1}$. Orbital integrations and \textit{N}-body simulations of the pair suggest that the systems had a close encounter, reaching a separation of $7 \pm 2$ pc only $\sim$~6 Myr ago and predict a rapid divergence to a separation of $491 \pm 213$ pc within the next $\sim$100 Myr. The low escape velocity ($V_{\rm esc} = 0.51 \pm 0.12$ km s$^{-1}$) of the system compared to the relative 3D velocity indicates that they are gravitationally unbound. Their low tidal factors, elongated structures and populations extending beyond the Jacobi radii may reflect a strong transient tidal interaction between the clusters.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Probing the magnetic fields and dust properties in the young embedded star-forming region AFGL 6366S using Near Infrared and Optical linear polarimetry

We present Near-Infrared (NIR) and Optical linear polarimetry towards the partially embedded cluster AFGL 6366S. The polarization ranges from 0.44-10.3 per cent in NIR and 0.16-11.22 per cent in Optical bands. The position angle spans $1^\circ - 179^\circ$ in both NIR and Optical bands. About 22 stars exhibit intrinsic polarization signatures. A polarization hole is evident towards the densest ($\sim 3.4 \times 10^{23} \mathrm{cm}^{-2}$) and warmest ($\sim 28.8 \mathrm{K}$) central cluster region. It is attributable to depolarization induced by Radiative Torque Disruption (RAT-D) of large grains and a modest contribution from magnetic-field tangling. The local magnetic field towards the cluster's central region is significantly misaligned with both the large-scale Galactic field and the long axis of the filament present in the region. The field morphology wraps around two dense molecular clumps of radii 0.34 pc and 0.22 pc and $\mathrm N(\mathrm H_2)$ = $(7.9 \pm 1.1) \times 10^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$ and $(4.3 \pm 0.5) \times 10^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$, respectively. The clumps are embedded in the filamentary structure and represent locally accelerated stages of mass accumulation. Gravitationally driven mass flows, largely perpendicular to the local magnetic field, produce a U-shaped field curvature across the filament axis. The plane-of-sky magnetic field strengths towards the two clumps are $ 447.91 \pm 83.81 μ\mathrm{G}$ and $396.66 \pm 73.64 μ\mathrm{G}$. The corresponding mass-to-flux ratios ($λ\sim 1.34$ and $0.82$) indicate that one clump is magnetically supercritical and the other is subcritical. The Alfven Mach numbers ($\mathcal{M}_A$) $\sim$ 0.395 and 0.393 indicate that both the clumps are in sub-Alfvénic state.

astro-ph.GA↗