The Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment. Multiple Cluster Candidates in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Abstract

We present 100 multiple cluster candidates selected from the OGLE catalog of star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Statistical analysis shows that the significant fraction of these objects may constitute physical systems. Coeval ages of 102 components of multiple objects suggest their common origin. 53 components have very different ages. The comparison of the population of multiple clusters candidates from the SMC and the LMC shows that: a) distributions of sizes and ages of multiple and single clusters from the Magellanic Clouds are very similar, b) the difference of sizes of components of a given system is small, c) in both distributions of separation of multiple clusters from the LMC and SMC two peaks are seen at about 9 pc and 15 pc, d) both age distributions reveal peaks around 100 Myr, which may be connected with the last encounter of the LMC and the SMC.