Structural stability of homothetic solutions of the collinearn-body problem

We investigate specific homothetic solutions of then-body problem which both begin and end in a simultaneous collision of all of the particles. Under a suitable change of variables, these solutions become heteroclinic orbits, i.e., they lie in the intersection of the stable and unstable manifolds of distinct equilibrium points. Our main result is that these manifolds intersect transversely along these orbits. This proves that the homothetic solutions are structurally stable.Partially supported by NSF Grant MCS 77-00430.