Numerical experiments of the planar equal-mass three-body problem: the effects of rotation.

The planar three-body problem with angular momentum is numerically and systematically studied as a generalization of the free-fall problem (i.e., the three-body problem with zero initial velocities). The initial conditions in the configuration space exhaust all possible forms of a triangle, whereas the initial conditions in the momentum space are chosen so that position vectors and momentum vectors are orthogonal. Numerical results are organized according to the value of virial ratio k defined as the ratio of the total kinetic energy to the total potential energy. Final motions are mapped in the initial value space. Several interesting features are found. Among others, binary collision curves seem to spiral into the Lagrange point, and for large k, binary collision curves connect the Lagrange point and the Euler point. The existence of a lunar periodic orbit and a periodic orbit of petal-type is suggested. The number of escape orbits as a function of the escape time is analyzed for different k. The behavior of this number for different time and k shows most remarkably the effects of rotation of triple systems. The number of escape orbits increases exponentially for k

Dynamical ordering of symmetric non-Birkhoff periodic points in reversible monotone twist mappings.

We study the coexistence of symmetric non-Birkhoff periodic orbits of C(1) reversible monotone twist mappings on the cylinder. We prove the equivalence of the existence of non-Birkhoff periodic orbits and that of transverse homoclinic intersections of stable and unstable manifolds of the fixed point. We derive the positional relation of symmetric Birkhoff and non-Birkhoff periodic orbits and obtain the dynamical ordering of symmetric non-Birkhoff periodic orbits. An extension of the Sharkovskii ordering to two-dimensional mappings has been carried out. In the proof of various properties of the mappings, reversibility plays an essential role. (c) 2002 American Institute of Physics.

One-dimensional three-body problem via symbolic dynamics.

Symbolic dynamics is applied to the one-dimensional three-body problem with equal masses. The sequence of binary collisions along an orbit is expressed as a symbol sequence of two symbols. Based on the time reversibility of the problem and numerical data, inadmissible (i.e., unrealizable) sequences of collisions are systematically found. A graph for the transitions among various regions in the Poincare section is constructed. This graph is used to find an infinite number of periodic sequences, which implies an infinity of periodic orbits other than those accompanying a simple periodic orbit called the Schubart orbit. Finally, under reasonable assumptions on inadmissible sequences, we prove that the set of admissible symbol sequences forms a Cantor set. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.