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We investigate the problem of determining the shape of a rotating celestial object - e.g., a comet or an asteroid - under its own gravitational field. More specifically, we consider an object symmetric with respect to one axis - such as a…
We consider the two-body problem on surfaces of constant non-zero curvature and classify the relative equilibria and their stability. On the hyperbolic plane, for each q>0 we show there are two relative equilibria where the masses are…
We consider the unrestricted problem of two mutually attracting rigid bodies, an uniform sphere (or a point mass) and an axially symmetric body. We present a global, geometric approach for finding all relative equilibria (stationary…
The relative equilibria of planar Newtonian $N$-body problem become coorbital around a central mass in the limit when all but one of the masses becomes zero. We prove a variety of results about the coorbital relative equilibria, with an…
We study the linear and nonlinear stability of relative equilibria in the planar N-vortex problem, adapting the approach of Moeckel from the corresponding problem in celestial mechanics. After establishing some general theory, a topological…
In this paper we study the linear stability of relative equilibria in the Newtonian $n$-body problem from the viewpoint of electromagnetic systems. We first examine the effect of the ambient dimension on stability, starting from the…
We develop a new geometrical technique to study relative equilibria for a system of $n$--positive masses, moving on the two dimensional sphere $\mathbb{S}^2$, under the influence of a general potential which only depends on the mutual…
We examine in detail the relative equilibria in the four-vortex problem where two pairs of vortices have equal strength, that is, \Gamma_1 = \Gamma_2 = 1 and \Gamma_3 = \Gamma_4 = m where m is a nonzero real parameter. One main result is…
We investigate the relationship between rigid motions and relative equilibria in the N-body problem on the two-dimensional sphere, S2. We prove that any rigid motion of the N-body system on S2 must be a relative equilibrium. Our approach…
For the Newtonian (gravitational) $n$-body problem in the Euclidean $d$-dimensional space, $d\ge 2$, the simplest possible periodic solutions are provided by circular relative equilibria, (RE) for short, namely solutions in which each body…
We generalize the Newtonian n-body problem to spaces of curvature k=constant, and study the motion in the 2-dimensional case. For k>0, the equations of motion encounter non-collision singularities, which occur when two bodies are antipodal.…
One of the outstanding problems of classical celestial mechanics was the restricted 3-body prob- lem, in which a planetoid of small mass is subject to the Newtonian attraction of two celestial bodies of large mass, as it occurs, for…
The stability of a system of $N$ equal sized mutually gravitating spheres resting on each other in a straight line and rotating in inertial space is considered. This is a generalization of the "Euler Resting" configurations previously…
We compute the hydrodynamic torque on a dumbbell (two spheres linked by a massless rigid rod) settling in a quiescent fluid at small but finite Reynolds number. The spheres have the same mass densities but different sizes. When the sizes…
A solution of the n-body problem in R^d is a relative equilibrium if all of the mutual distance between the bodies are constant. In other words, the bodies undergo a rigid motion. Here we investigate the possibility of partially rigid…
We consider the motion of point masses given by a natural extension of Newtonian gravitation to spaces of constant positive curvature. Our goal is to explore the spectral stability of tetrahedral orbits of the corresponding 4-body problem…
The three-body problem is reexamined in the framework of general relativity. The Newtonian three-body problem admits Euler's collinear solution, where three bodies move around the common center of mass with the same orbital period and…
Consider n=2l>=4 point particles with equal masses in space, subject to the following symmetry constraint: at each instant they form an orbit of the dihedral group D_l, where D_l is the group of order 2l generated by two rotations of angle…
A body moves in a medium composed of noninteracting point particles; interaction of particles with the body is absolutely elastic. It is required to find the body's shape minimizing or maximizing resistance of the medium to its motion. This…
The dynamics of extended bodies is a fundamental problem in any gravitational theory. In the case of General Relativity, this problem is under study since the theory was published. Several methods have been developed and different…