Mathematicians find 12,000 new solutions to 'unsolvable' 3-body problem

Live Science ^ | September 15, 2023 | Briley Lewis

[SunkenCiv]

...Two objects orbiting each other, like a lone planet around a star, can be described with just a line or two of mathematical equations. Add a third body, though, and the math becomes much harder. Because each object influences the others with its gravity, calculating a stable orbit where all three objects get along is a complex feat...

More than 300 years ago, Isaac Newton wrote down his foundational laws of motion, and mathematicians have been working on solutions to the three-body problem pretty much ever since. There is no single correct answer; instead, there are many orbits that can work within the laws of physics for three orbiting objects.

Unlike our planet's simple loop around the sun, orbits for the three-body problem can look twisted and tangled, like pretzels and scribbles. The 12,000 newly discovered ones are no exception — the three hypothetical objects start at a standstill and, when released, are pulled into various spirals toward one another via gravity. They then fling past one another, moving farther away, until the attraction takes over and they once again come together, repeating this pattern over and over again...

Three-body systems are quite common in the universe; there are plenty of star systems with multiple planets, or even multiple stars orbiting each other. In theory, these new solutions could prove extremely valuable to astronomers trying to explain the cosmos. But they're only useful if they're stable, meaning the orbital patterns can repeat over time without breaking apart, flinging one of the component worlds off into space. Just because they're theoretically stable doesn't mean they'll stand up to the many other forces present in a real star system.

[buwaya]

No, not yet.