Crumbling Disks and Rising Worlds in V960 Mon Reveal Gravitational Instability at Work

FU Orionis-type stars exhibit dramatic outbursts attributed to sudden increases in accretion rates, offering a powerful probe of early stellar variability. V960 Mon is a young, eruptive system undergoing sustained brightening, with evidence of complex circumstellar dynamics. Using high-contrast L(prime)-band imaging with VLT/ERIS, we report the discovery of a deeply embedded substellar companion candidate at a projected separation of 0.898 arcseconds, co-located with extended polarized infrared emission. The object remains undetected in the near-infrared H-band, suggesting a highly extincted, dust-rich environment. Its photometric and spatial properties indicate it may be a disk-bearing companion actively contributing to the observed variability. These results offer direct insight into the role of companions and disk instabilities in driving variability in young eruptive stars. By combining infrared imaging with multi-wavelength data, we aim to better understand the link between multiplicity, disk structure, and the episodic accretion processes that define the early lives of stars.