Related papers: Is planetary chaos related to evolutionary (phenot…
We study the largest Lyapunov exponent $\lambda$ and the finite size effects of a system of N fully-coupled classical particles, which shows a second order phase transition. Slightly below the critical energy density $U_c$, $\lambda$ shows…
The variation of a planet's obliquity is influenced by the existence of satellites with a high mass ratio. For instance, the Earth's obliquity is stabilized by the Moon, and would undergo chaotic variations in the Moon's absence. In turn,…
I review recent observations on the evolution of quasars, describe new surveys for quasars at z > 5 and for quasars at z > 3.3 down to luminosities corresponding to L* galaxies, and note the possible connection between the evolution of the…
Instabilities in compact planetary systems are generically driven by chaotic dynamics. This implies that an instability time measured through direct N-body integration is not exact, but rather represents a single draw from a distribution of…
RV surveys of evolved stars allow us to probe a higher stellar mass range compared to main-sequence samples. Differences between the planet populations can be caused by either the differing stellar mass or stellar evolution. To properly…
This thesis assesses the influence of astronomical phenomena on the Earth's biosphere and climate. I examine in particular the relevance of both the path of the Sun through the Galaxy and the evolution of the Earth's orbital parameters in…
We consider the chaotic motion of low-mass bodies in two-body high-order mean-motion resonances with planets in model planetary systems, and analytically estimate the Lyapunov and diffusion timescales of the motion in multiplets of…
While there have been many studies examining the stability of hierarchical triple systems, the meaning of ``stability'' is somewhat vague and has been interpreted differently in previous literatures. The present paper focuses on ``Lagrange…
Relativistic binary pulsars, such as B1534+12 and B1913+16 are characterized by having close orbits with a binary separation of ~ 3 R_\sun. The progenitor of such a system is a neutron star, helium star binary. The helium star, with a…
The hierarchical clustering inherent in Lambda-CDM cosmology seems to produce many of the observed characteristics of large-scale structure. But some glaring problems still remain, including the over-prediction (by a factor 10) of the…
Non-reciprocal interactions between microscopic constituents can profoundly shape the large-scale properties of complex systems. Here, we investigate the effects of non-reciprocity in the context of theoretical ecology by analyzing a…
This paper explores the stability of an Earth-like planet orbiting a solar mass star in the presence of an outer-lying intermediate mass companion. The overall goal is to estimate the fraction of binary systems that allow Earth-like planets…
We introduce a model to study the impact of catastrophes on evolutionary paths. If we do not allow catastrophes the number of changes in the maximum fitness of a population grows logarithmically with respect to time. Allowing catastrophes…
This paper compares the statistical features of the sample of discovered extrasolar planets with those of the secondaries in nearby spectroscopic binaries, in order to enable us to distinguish between the two populations. Based on 32 planet…
Faint young Sun paradox (FYSP) is one of the unsolved problem in solar physics. The present study aims to get a possible solution for the FYSP through sun-like G stars and their exoplanetary systems. Using physical properties of…
Classical quasi-integrable systems are known to have Lyapunov times much shorter than their ergodicity time -- the most clear example being the Solar System -- but the situation for their quantum counterparts is less well understood. As a…
Star formation rate and accummulated stellar mass are two fundamental physical quantities that describe the evolutionary state of a forming galaxy. Two recent attempts to determine the relationship between these quantities, by interpreting…
In a recent paper, we applied time series analysis methods to study the possible influence of the solar motion through the Galaxy on terrestrial extinction (Feng & Bailer-Jones 2013). We drew conclusions about the relative probabilities of…
Models of the Sun's long-term evolution suggest that its luminosity was substantially reduced 2-4 billion years ago, which is inconsistent with substantial evidence for warm and wet conditions in the geological records of both ancient Earth…
An analysis is made of the manner in which the cosmic ray intensity at Earth has varied over its existence and its possible relevance to both the origin and the evolution of life. Much of the analysis relates to the 'high energy' cosmic…