Abstract
We report on the results of a binary survey in the outer parts of the Orion Nebula Cluster, 0.7 to 2pc from the cluster center. The results should help to decide if the binary formation rate was lower in Orion than in Taurus-Auriga, or if many binaries formed initially, but were destroyed in close stellar encounters. We find that the binary frequency of low-mass stars does not depend on the distance to the cluster center. The companion star frequency of intermediate- to high-mass stars shows a trend to decrease with cluster radius, but the statistical significance of this trend is rather weak.