Asymmetries in the LMC velocity maps

The analysis of precise DR3 astrometry in the LMC region has revealed asymmetric patterns in the bar quadrupole and the disc outskirts of the LMC in-plane velocity maps. We aim to quantify the asymmetries detected in the LMC radial and residual tangential velocity maps, and determine whether they are generated naturally due to the LMC's interaction with the SMC. We analyse the velocity maps of different simulations from the KRATOS suite of N-body simulations of the LMC--SMC--MW system, proposing a new methodology to quantify the kinematic asymmetry in the bar and the outskirts of the disc. We also transform the KRATOS simulations into mock catalogues with G magnitudes and observational errors, to confirm that the asymmetric signature in the LMC is not an effect of observational uncertainties. In addition, we investigate the possibility of a classification bias in the neural network classifier of the optimal sample. In the KRATOS simulations of the LMC and SMC interaction, the dynamical effect of the SMC passages produces a displacement of the bar and asymmetries in the LMC velocity maps. Individual stars of the SMC do not have a substantial effect on the kinematics of the LMC. By comparing the velocity maps of mock catalogues of the future data releases DR4, DR5, and GaiaNIR we find that the asymmetric signature in the bar quadrupole is independent of observational errors. We thereby confirm that it is a consequence of the interaction of the LMC with the SMC. We also find a classification bias in the neural network classifier, indicating that the outer disc asymmetry observed in the optimal sample is artificial. The analysis of the KRATOS simulations reveals that the interaction of the LMC with the SMC can generate asymmetric patterns in the velocity field. In the case of the DR3 LMC velocity maps we conclude that the bar quadrupole asymmetry is directly correlated with the SMC interaction, while the outer disc asymmetry is an artefact of the classifier for the optimal sample.