# Unresolved binaries and Galactic clusters' mass estimates

## TL;DR

This study examines how unresolved binary stars affect the estimated masses of open clusters, showing that accounting for binaries leads to higher mass estimates.

## Contribution

It introduces a method using luminosity functions, binary mass ratio assumptions, and Monte Carlo simulations to improve cluster mass estimates by including unresolved binaries.

## Key findings

- Cluster masses increase when unresolved binaries are considered.
- Different binary mass ratio assumptions impact mass estimates.
- Monte Carlo simulations help quantify the effect of binaries.

## Abstract

Binary stars are present in all stellar systems, yet their role is far from being fully understood. We investigate the effect of unresolved binaries in the derivation of open clusters' mass by star counts. We start from the luminosity functions of five open clusters: IC 2714, NGC 1912, NGC 2099, NGC 6834 and NGC 7142. Luminosity functions are obtained via star counts extracted from the 2MASS database. The fraction of binaries is considered to be independent on stellar magnitude. We take into account different assumptions for the binary mass ratio distribution and assign binary masses using the so-called {\it luminosity-limited pairing} method and Monte-Carlo simulations. We show that cluster masses increase when binary stars are appropriately taken into account.