Related papers: On the nodal distance between two Keplerian trajec…
Consider a stationary agent A at an unknown location and a mobile agent B that must move to the vicinity of and then circumnavigate A at a prescribed distance from A. In doing so, B can only measure its distance from A, and knows its own…
Contraction analysis considers the distance between two adjacent trajectories. If this distance is contracting, then trajectories have the same long-term behavior. The main advantage of this analysis is that it is independent of the…
We extend our previous work on the evolution of close binary systems with misaligned orbital and spin angular momenta resulting from non-dissipative tidal interaction to include all physical effects contributing to apsidal motion. In…
For a convex body $K\subset\mathbb{R}^d$ the mean distance $\Delta(K)=\mathbb{E}|X_1-X_2|$ is the expected Euclidean distance of two independent and uniformly distributed random points $X_1,X_2\in K$. Optimal lower and upper bounds for…
Motion of a point mass in gravitational fields of the Sun and of the galactic disk is studied. Fundamental features of the motion are found by investigating the time-averaged differential equations for orbital evolution. Several types of…
This work investigates different models of rotational dynamics of two rigid bodies with the shape of an ellipsoid, moving under their gravitational influence. The focus of this study is on their behavior, their linear stability, and…
The gravitational interaction between two objects on similar orbits can effect noticeable changes in the orbital evolution even if the ratio of their masses to that of the central body is vanishingly small. Christou (2005) observed an…
In a Keplerian system, a large number of bodies orbit a central mass. Accretion disks, protoplanetary disks, asteroid belts, and planetary rings are examples. Simulations of these systems require algorithms that are computationally…
We consider the Keplerian arcs around a fixed Newtonian center joining two prescribed distinct positions in a prescribed flight time. We prove that, putting aside the "opposition case" where infinitely many planes of motion are possible,…
An upper bound for Zolotarev distances between probability measures on multidimensional Euclidean spaces is given in terms of similar distances between one dimensional projections.
The boundaries of the Uranian epsilon, alpha, and beta rings can be fitted by Keplerian ellipses. The pair of ellipses that outline a given ring share a common line of apsides. Apse alignment is surprising because the quadrupole moment of…
The four longest period Kuiper belt objects have orbital periods close to integer ratios with each other. A hypothetical planet with orbital period $\sim$17,117 years, semimajor axis $\sim$665 AU, would have N/1 and N/2 period ratios with…
We lay out the phenomenological behavior of event-shape observables evaluated by solving optimal transport problems between collider events and reference geometries -- which we name 'manifold distances' -- to provide guidance regarding…
In this paper we introduce an algorithm for determining the orbital elements and individual masses of visual binaries. The algorithm uses an optimal point, which minimizes a specific function describing the average length between the…
Recent investigations (e.g. Han et al. 2001) have shown that fitting the Hipparcos observations with an orbital model when the astrometric wobble caused by the companion is below the noise level can have rather unexpected consequences. With…
We introduce functions for relative maximization in a general context: the beta and alpha applications. After a systematic study concerning regularities, we investigate how to approximate certain values of these functions using periodic…
The diagram showing off-center nested spheres which is traditionally used to illustrate the Doppler effect, is misleading and its trigonometric analysis leads to errors concerning light, because electromagnetic Doppler and aberration…
The angle between the stellar spin-axis and the orbital plane of a stellar or planetary companion has important implications for the formation and evolution of such systems. A study by Hale (1994) found that binaries with separations $a <…
We derive the astrometric orbit of the photo-center of the close pair alpha UMi AP (=alpha UMi Aa) of the Polaris multiple stellar system. The orbit is based on the spectroscopic orbit of the Cepheid alpha UMi A (orbital period of AP: 29.59…
The outer architectures of Kepler's compact systems of multiple transiting planets remain poorly constrained and few of these systems have lower bounds on the orbital distance of any massive outer planets. We infer a minimum orbital…