On the number of central configurations in the N-body problem

Central configurations are critical points of the potential function of the n-body problem restricted to the topological sphere where the moment of inertia is equal to constant. For a given set of positive masses m ₁,..., m _n we denote by N(m ₁, ..., m _n, k) the number of central configurations' of the n-body problem in ^k modulus dilatations and rotations. If m _{n 1},..., m _n, k) is finite, then we give a bound of N(m ₁,..., m _n, k) which only depends of n and k.     

Action-minimizing solutions of the one-dimensional <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-body problem

We supplement the following result of C. Marchal on the Newtonian N-body problem: A path minimizing the Lagrangian action functional between two given configurations is always a true (collision-free) solution when the dimension d of the physical space \({\mathbb {R}}^d\) satisfies \(d\ge 2\). The focus of this paper is on the fixed-ends problem for the one-dimensional Newtonian N-body problem. We prove that a path minimizing the action functional in the set of paths joining two given configurations and having all the time the same order is always a true (collision-free) solution. Considering the one-dimensional N-body problem with equal masses, we prove that (i) collision instants are isolated for a path minimizing the action functional between two given configurations, (ii) if the particles at two endpoints have the same order, then the path minimizing the action functional is always a true (collision-free) solution and (iii) when the particles at two endpoints have different order, although there must be collisions for any path, we can prove that there are at most \(N! - 1\) collisions for any action-minimizing path.     

Conjugate Points in the Gravitational n-Body Problem

In an effort to understand the nature of almost periodic orbits in the n-body problem (for all time t) we look first to the more basic question of the oscillatory nature of solutions of this problem (on a half-line, usually taken as R ⁺). Intimately related to this is the notion of a conjugate point(due to A. Wintner) of a solution. Specifically, by rewriting the mass unrestricted general problem of n-bodies in a symmetric form we prove that in the gravitational Newtonian n-body problem with collisionless motions there exists arbitrarily large conjugate points in the case of arbitrary (positive) masses whenever the cube of the reciprocal of at least one of the mutual distances is not integrable at infinity. The implication of this result is that there are possibly many Wintner oscillatorysolutions in these cases (some of which may or may not be almost periodic). As a consequence, we obtain sufficient conditions for all continuable solutions (to infinity) to be either unbounded or to allow for near misses (at infinity). The results also apply to potentials other than Newtonian ones. Our techniques are drawn from results in systems oscillation theory and are applicable to more general situations. Dedicated to the memory of Robert M. (Bob) Kauffman, formerly Professor of the University of Alabama in Birmingham     

Jacobi Dynamics And The N-Body Problem With Variable Masses

An appropriate generalization of the Jacobi equation of motion for the polar moment of inertia I is considered in order to study the N-body problem with variable masses. Two coupled ordinary differential equations governing the evolution of I and the total energy E are obtained. A regularization scheme for this system of differential equations is provided. We compute some illustrative numerical examples, and discuss an average method for obtaining approximate analytical solutions to this pair of equations. For a particular law of mass loss we also obtain exact analytical solutions. The application of these ideas to other kind of perturbed gravitational N-body systems involving drag forces or a different type of mass variation is also considered. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Hip-hop solutions of the 2N-body problem

Hip-hop solutions of the 2N-body problem with equal masses are shown to exist using an analytic continuation argument. These solutions are close to planar regular 2N-gon relative equilibria with small vertical oscillations. For fixed N, an infinity of these solutions are three-dimensional choreographies, with all the bodies moving along the same closed curve in the inertial frame.     

Relative equilibrium solutions in the four body problem

Beyond the casen=3 little was known about relative equilibrium solutions of then-body problem up to recent years. Palmore's work provides in the general case much useful information. In the casen=4 he gives the totality of solutions when the four masses are equal and studies some degeneracies. We present here a survey of solutions for arbitrary masses, discussing the manifolds of degeneracy. The ordering of restricted potentials allows a counting of the number of bifurcation sets and different invariant manifolds. An analysis of linear stability is done in the restricted and general cases. As a result, values of the masses ensuring linear stability are given.     

A global regularisation of the gravitationalN-body problem

The work of Aarseth and Zare (1974) is extended to provide aglobal regularisation of the classical gravitational three-body problem: by transformation of the variables in a way that does not depend on the particular configuration, we obtain equations of motion which are regular with respect to collisions between any pair of particles. The only cases excepted are those in which collisions between more than one pair occur simultaneously and those in which at least one of the masses vanishes. However, by means of the same principles the restricted problem is regularised globally if collisions between the two primaries are excluded. Results of numerical tests are summarised, and the theory is generalised to provide global regularisations, first, for perturbed three-body motion and, second, for theN-body problem. A way of increasing the number of degrees of freedom of a dynamical system is central to the method, and is the subject of an Appendix.     

Periodic solutions of circular-elliptic type in the planarN-body problem

Letn2 mass points with arbitrary masses move circularly on a rotating straight-line central-configuration; i.e. on a particular solution of relative equilibrium of then-body problem. Replacing one of the mass points by a close pair of mass points (with mass conservation) we show that the resultingN-body problem (N=n+1) has solutions, which are periodic in a rotating coordinate system and describe precessing nearlyelliptic motion of the binary and nearlycircular collinear motion of its center of mass and the other bodies; assuming that also the mass ratio of the binary is small.     

Global Secular Dynamics in the Planar Three-Body Problem

We use the global construction which was made in [6, 7] of the secular systems of the planar three-body problem, with regularized double inner collisions. These normal forms describe the slow deformations of the Keplerian ellipses which each of the bodies would describe if it underwent the universal attraction of only one fictitious other body. They are parametrized by the masses and the semi-major axes of the bodies and are completely integrable on a fixed transversally Cantor set of the parameter space. We study this global integrable dynamics reduced by the symmetry of rotation and determine its bifurcation diagram when the semi-major axes ratio is small enough. In particular it is shown that there are some new secular hyperbolic or elliptic singularities, some of which do not belong to the subset of aligned ellipses. The bifurcation diagram may be used to prove the existence of some new families of 2-, 3- or 4-frequency quasiperiodic motions in the planar three-body problem [7], as well as some drift orbits in the planar n-body problem [8].     

Families of double symmetric “Schubart-like” periodic orbits

We consider a class of Hamiltonian systems with two degrees of freedom with singularities. This class includes several symmetric subproblems of the $n$ -body problem where the singularities are due to collisions involving two or more bodies. “Schubart-like” periodic orbits having two collisions in one period, are present in most of these subproblems. The purpose of this paper is to study the existence of families of such a periodic orbits in a general setting. The blow up techniques of total collision and infinity are applied to our class of Hamiltonian system. This allows us to derive sufficient conditions to ensure the existence of families of double symmetric “Schubart-like” periodic orbits having many singularities. The orbits in the family can be parametrized by the number of singularities in one period. The results are applied to some subproblems of the gravitational $n$ -body problem.     

Steady state obliquity of a rigid body in the spin–orbit resonant problem: application to Mercury

In this paper, we consider the elliptic collinear solutions of the classical n-body problem, where the n bodies always stay on a straight line, and each of them moves on its own elliptic orbit with the same eccentricity. Such a motion is called an elliptic Euler–Moulton collinear solution. Here we prove that the corresponding linearized Hamiltonian system at such an elliptic Euler–Moulton collinear solution of n-bodies splits into \((n-1)\) independent linear Hamiltonian systems, the first one is the linearized Hamiltonian system of the Kepler 2-body problem at Kepler elliptic orbit, and each of the other \((n-2)\) systems is the essential part of the linearized Hamiltonian system at an elliptic Euler collinear solution of a 3-body problem whose mass parameter is modified. Then the linear stability of such a solution in the n-body problem is reduced to those of the corresponding elliptic Euler collinear solutions of the 3-body problems, which for example then can be further understood using numerical results of Martínez et al. on 3-body Euler solutions in 2004–2006. As an example, we carry out the detailed derivation of the linear stability for an elliptic Euler–Moulton solution of the 4-body problem with two small masses in the middle.     

On the existence of central configurations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis> nested regular polyhedra

In this paper we prove, for all p ≥ 2, the existence of central configurations of the pn-body problem where the masses are located at the vertices of p nested regular polyhedra having the same number of vertices n and a common center. In such configurations all the masses on the same polyhedron are equal, but masses on different polyhedra could be different.     

Saari's Conjecture for the Planar Three-Body Problem with Equal Masses

In the N-body problem, it is a simple observation that relative equilibria (planar solutions for which the mutual distances between the particles remain constant) have constant moment of inertia. In 1970, Don Saari conjectured that the converse was true: if a solution to the N-body problem has constant moment of inertia, then it must be a relative equilibrium. In this note, we confirm the conjecture for the planar three-body problem with equal masses. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Magnetic Monopoles in the Early Universe: Pair Production

Magnetic monopoles and antimonopoles with masses M=10¹⁶ Gev and charges q=68.5e in the early universe are considered. Pair production may occur as a result of their Coulomb interaction. Some conditions for formation of such pairs are discussed. In particular, numerical simulations of three particle collisions are carried out. Probabilities for pair production are found in terms of the N-body problem.     

New stacked central configurations for the planar 5-body problem

A stacked central configuration in the n-body problem is one that has a proper subset of the n-bodies forming a central configuration. In this paper we study the case where three bodies with masses m ₁, m ₂, m ₃ (bodies 1, 2, 3) form an equilateral central configuration, and the other two with masses m ₄, m ₅ are symmetric with respect to the mediatrix of the segment joining 1 and 2, and they are above the triangle generated by {1, 2, 3}. We show the existence and non-existence of this kind of stacked central configurations for the planar 5-body problem.     

TheN-body problem of celestial mechanics

A selective survey of then-body problem of celestial mechanics is given where the emphasis is on the asymptotic behavior of all solutions ast, the possible configurations the particles can assume in phase space and in physical space, and collision and non-collision singularities.Supported in part by NSF Grant MPS 71-03407 A03.     

A classification of galactic collisions for galaxies of unequal dimensions

The earlier work on classification of galactic collisions for identical galaxies is extended to the situations where the two colliding galaxies differ in mass and dimension. We consider collisions between galaxies of masses 10⁷, 10⁹, 10¹¹ and 10¹³ M and let their radii be 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 kpc, respectively. The density distribution in both galaxies is represented by that of a polytrope of indexn=4. The type of collision is determined for head-on collisions for initial relative velocities 500, 1000, 2000 and 3000 km s^–1. The corresponding final velocities are also indicated.     

A Counterexample to a Generalized Saari's Conjecture with a Continuum of Central Configurations

In this paper we show that in the n-body problem with harmonic potential one can find a continuum of central configurations for n= 3. Moreover we show a counterexample to an interpretation of Jerry Marsden Generalized Saari's conjecture. This will help to refine our understanding and formulation of the Generalized Saari's conjecture, and in turn it might provide insight in how to solve the classical Saari's conjecture for n≥ 4. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.