A remarkable periodic solution of the three-body problem in the case of equal masses (Q5931226): Difference between revisions

Using a variational method, the authors find a simple periodic orbit for Newtonian problem of three equal masses in a plane. The orbit has zero angular momentum, and possesses a very rich symmetry pattern. It is the most surprising feature that the three bodies chase each other around a fixed eight-shaped curve. Additionally, the orbit visits in turns every ``Euler configuration'' in which one of the bodies is located at the midpoint of the segment defined by the other two bodies.