CLUSTERS IN THE WEST SIDE OF THE BAR OF THE LARGE-MAGELLANIC-CLOUD - INTERACTING PAIRS

In this paper, we present the VI-CCD photometry of 11 unstudied cluste rs located in the bar of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), as a part o f a project aimed to infer the star formation history of this galaxy. We derive the ages of these clusters by means of isochrone fitting. Th ree close pairs of clusters are included in the sample, namely NGC 190 3-SL 357, SL 349-SL 353, SL 387-SL 385. We discuss the surface photome try of these objects: the distortion in the isophotal contours is rega rded as a sign of interactions between pairs of physically connected c lusters. While the systems SL 349-SL 353 and SL 387-SL 385 are likely pairs of nearly coeval clusters, NGC 1903-SL 357 is not because of the large age difference between the two. Several possible mechanisms for the formation of this peculiar pair are examined in the context of in teractions between the Large and Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC).