Evidence Against Primordial Mass Segregation in Young Open Clusters: A Bayesian Multiscale Analysis of 3881 Gaia DR3 Clusters
Abstract
Abstract The origin of mass segregation in open clusters—whether it is primordial (imprinted at birth) or dynamical (evolved over time)—remains a subject of intense debate. We present a comprehensive multi-scale analysis of 3881 open clusters using high-precision astrometry from Gaia DR3 based on a recent comprehensive catalog. To strictly control for observational biases, we implement a rigorous Bayesian deconvolution method that corrects for both spatial “Finger-of-God” elongations and kinematic measurement errors via posterior sampling. We evaluate mass segregation using three independent indicators: the spatial mass segregation ratio (Λ MSR ), the Q -parameter, and a kinematic segregation index ( Q kin ). Our results reveal no statistically significant evidence for primordial spatial mass segregation in very young clusters (
Fields of Study & Subjects
Stellar
planetary
and galactic studies
Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
Galaxies: Formation
Evolution
Phenomena
Publication details
- Journal / source
- The Astronomical Journal
- Publisher
- American Astronomical Society
- Volume
- 171
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 236–236
- Publication date
- 19 March 2026
- Language
- EN