A kinematic and structural study of young open clusters in the Milky Way Galaxy using Gaia DR3 catalogue

TL;DR

This study uses Gaia DR3 data to analyze 14 young open clusters within 1 kpc, revealing their properties, dynamical states, and evidence of mass-dependent velocity dispersion indicating dynamical relaxation.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive kinematic and structural analysis of young open clusters using Gaia DR3, highlighting dynamical relaxation signatures and spatial member patterns.

Findings

Clusters have ages 6-90 Myr and masses 0.13-13.77 solar masses.

Evidence of dynamical relaxation through increasing velocity dispersion in F to M stars.

Detection of high proper motion stars suggesting possible walkaway stars.

Abstract

We aim to identify the cluster members, estimate cluster properties, study the dynamical state of the clusters as a function of mass, trace the existence of dynamical effects in massive stars, and check for spatial patterns of members in young clusters. We studied 14 young open clusters located within 1 kpc using the data from Gaia DR3 with the membership estimated using the GMM method. The cluster parameters such as age, distance, metallicity, and extinction were estimated by fitting PARSEC isochrones to the CMDs. These clusters are found to have ages between 6-90 Myr, located between 334-910 pc, covering a mass range, of 0.13 to 13.77 solar mass. In five of these clusters, stars from F to M spectral type show increasing velocity dispersion, a signature for dynamical relaxation. We detect high proper motion for B and A-type stars, possible walkaway stars in the other five clusters, Alessi Teutsch 5, ASCC 16, ASCC 21, IC 2395, and NGC 6405. We demonstrate the existence of mass-dependent velocity dispersion in young clusters suggestive of dynamical relaxation. The typical range of transverse velocity dispersion is found to be 0.40 - 0.70 km/s for young clusters.