  Characterization of the binary fractions in star clusters is of fundamental
importance for many fields in astrophysics. Observations indicate that the
majority of stars are found in binary systems, while most stars with masses
greater than $0.5 M_\odot$ are formed in star clusters. In addition, since
binaries are on average more massive than single stars, in resolved star
clusters these systems are thought to be good tracers of (dynamical) mass
segregation. Over time, dynamical evolution through two-body relaxation will
cause the most massive objects to migrate to the cluster center, while the
relatively lower-mass objects remain in or migrate to orbits at greater radii.
This process will globally dominate a cluster's stellar distribution. However,
close encounters involving binary systems may disrupt `soft' binaries. This
process will occur more frequently in a cluster's central, dense region than in
its periphery, which may mask the effects of mass segregation. Using high
resolution Hubble Space Telescope observations, combined with sophisticated
$N$-body simulations, we investigate the radial distributions of the
main-sequence binary fractions in massive young Large Magellanic Cloud star
clusters. We show that binary disruption may play an important role on very
short timescales, depending on the environmental conditions in the cluster
cores. This may lead to radial binary fractions that initially decline in the
cluster centers, which is contrary to the effects expected from dynamical mass
segregation.
