Four Open Questions for the N-Body Problem by Richard Montgomery

Four Open Questions for the N-Body Problem by Richard Montgomery

The N-body problem has been investigated since Isaac Newton, however vast tracts of the problem remain open. Showcasing the vibrancy of the problem, this book describes four open questions and explores progress made over the last 20 years. After a comprehensive introduction, each chapter focuses on a different open question, highlighting how the stance taken and tools used vary greatly depending on the question. Progress on question one, 'Are the central configurations finite?', uses tools from algebraic geometry. Two, 'Are there any stable periodic orbits?', is dynamical and requires some understanding of the KAM theorem. The third, 'Is every braid realised?', requires topology and variational methods. The final question, 'Does a scattered beam have a dense image?', is quite new and formulating it precisely takes some effort. An excellent resource for students and researchers of mathematics, astronomy, and physics interested in exploring state-of-the-art techniques and perspectives on this classical problem.

Richard Montgomery is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at University of California, Santa Cruz. He is a co-rediscoverer of the surprisingly stable figure eight orbit for the classical three-body problem. His work on the N-body problem uses variational, topological, and differential geometric methods to say new things about this old problem.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781009200585
ISBN 10	1009200585
Title	Four Open Questions for the N-Body Problem
Author	Richard Montgomery
Condition	Unavailable
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Year published	2024-12-19
Number of pages	312
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable