Related papers: Classifying Four-Body Convex Central Configuration…
We study kite central configurations in the Newtonian four-body problem. We present a new proof that there exists a unique convex kite central configuration for a given choice of positive masses and a particular ordering of the bodies. Our…
We prove that there is a unique convex non-collinear central configuration of the planar Newtonian four-body problem when two equal masses are located at opposite vertices of a quadrilateral and, at most, only one of the remaining masses is…
The plane case of central configurations with four different masses is analyzed theoretically and is computed numerically. We follow Dziobek's approach to four body central configurations with a direct implicit method of our own in which…
We prove that any four-body convex central configuration with perpendicular diagonals must be a kite configuration. The result extends to general power-law potential functions, including the planar four-vortex problem.
We establish the existence of a single-parameter family of the concave kite central configurations in the 4-body problem with two pairs of equal masses. In such configurations, one pair of the masses must lie on the base of an isosceles…
In this paper, we consider the problem: given a symmetric concave configuration of four bodies, under what conditions is it possible to choose positive masses which make it central. We show that there are some regions in which no central…
We study four-body central configurations with one pair of opposite sides parallel. We use a novel constraint to write the central configuration equations in this special case, using distances as variables. We prove that, for a given…
We study the relationship between the masses and the geometric properties of central configurations. We prove that in the planar four-body problem, a convex central configuration is symmetric with respect to one diagonal if and only if the…
We study central configurations of the Newtonian four-body problem that form a trapezoid. Using a topological argument we prove that there is at most one trapezoidal central configuration for each cyclic ordering of the masses.
We classify all planar four-body central configurations where two pairs of the bodies are on parallel lines. Using Cartesian coordinates, we show that the set of four-body trapezoid central configurations with positive masses forms a…
We study central configurations lying on a common circle in the Newtonian four-body problem. Using a topological argument we prove that there is at most one co-circular central configuration for each cyclic ordering of the masses on the…
For any convex non-collinear central configuration of the planar Newtonian 4-body problem with adjacent equal masses $m_1=m_2\neq m_3=m_4$, with equal lengths for the two diagonals, we prove it must possess a symmetry and must be an…
In this paper we discuss the central configurations of the Trapezoidal four-body Problem. We consider four point masses on the vertices of an isosceles trapezoid with two equal masses $m_1=m_4$ at positions $(\mp 0.5, r_B)$ and $m_2=m_3$ at…
In the studied axisymmetric case of the central four-body problem, the axis of symmetry is defined by two unequal-mass bodies, while the other two bodies are situated symmetrically with respect to this axis and have equal masses. Here, we…
Central configurations are fundamental equilibrium solutions of the Newtonian $n$-body problem and play a key role in understanding the structure and dynamics of gravitational systems. However, the classification and enumeration of such…
Central configurations play an important role in the dynamics of the $n$-body problem: they occur as relative equilibria and as asymptotic configurations in colliding trajectories. We illustrate how they can be found as projective fixed…
We study central configurations in the four body problem, i.e., configurations in which the forces on all the bodies point to a fixed, single point in space. The newly formulated pair-space formalism yields a set of vectorial equations that…
In this paper,we study spatial central configurations where N bodies are at the vertices of a regular N-gon $T$ and the other 4 bodies are symmetrically located on the straight line that is perpendicular to the plane that contains $T$ and…
The conjecture of the existence and the uniqueness of the strictly convex quadrilateral central configuration for the Newtonian 4-body problem is one of the most-talked open problems in the study of the classical n-body problems in…
We study the bifurcations of central configurations of the Newtonian four-body problem when some of the masses are equal. First, we continue numerically the solutions for the equal mass case, and we find values of the mass parameter at…