Nonintegrability of the reduced planar three-body problem with generalized force (Q2058530)

Every autonomous dynamical system, be it real- or complex-valued \[ \dot{x} = X\left({x}\right),\qquad X:\mathbb{K}^n \to \mathbb{K}, \quad \mathbb{K} \in \left\{ \mathbb{R}, \mathbb{C} \right\}, \tag{1}\] can be linearized along any particular solution \(\Gamma=\left\{ \phi( t) \right\}\), yielding what is commonly known as the \emph{(first-order) variational equations}: \[\dot{z}=X'\left( \phi(t)\right) {z}.\tag{2} \] Morales-Ramis theory is an adaptation to differential Galois theory of results first formulated on monodromy groups by Ziglin. Both theories are ad-hoc incarnations of the same heuristic principle, the gist of which is as follows: if a given system (1) is integrable in any practically meaningful sense, then its variational system (2) is integrable in any sense applicable to \emph{linear} systems. In the special case where (1) is \emph{Hamiltonian} and its integrability is Liouville-Arnold with \emph{meromorphic} first integrals, the inner workings of differential Galois theory impose a stronger specific condition, namely the virtual \emph{abelianity} (not just solvability) of the differential Galois group \(\mathrm{Gal}\left(\mathrm{VE}_\Gamma \right)\) with respect to the Zariski topology. This composite theory of integrability, and its application to a subsystem \(\left(\mathrm{NVE}_\Gamma\right)\) of (2) named the \emph{normal variational equations}, is the basic tool used in the study of the titular system. The Planar Three-Body Problem with generalized potential \(U\left( r \right ) = r^{-2}\) is explained succinctly in the introductory section, along with a summary of the known first integrals arising from Noether's known result on symmetries. The article proceeds to take complex variables for granted (\(\mathbb{K}=\mathbb{C}\)) in order to be able to fully use Ziglin-Morales-Ramis theory, albeit retaining the physically significant configuration space which precludes binary collisions. The well-known \emph{Jacobi transformation}, followed by the use of rotational symmetry, a canonical transformation, a reduction arising from an invariant surface and a change of independent variable are successively used to obtain a Hamiltonian system of two degrees of freedom, adequately called \emph{Reduced Planar Three-Body Problem (RPTBP)}. Further reduction for one particular case yields a one-dimensional Hamiltonian which is the one motivating the subsystem \(\left(\mathrm{NVE}_\Gamma\right)\) mentioned above. Given that virtual abelianity of \(G=\mathrm{Gal}\left(\mathrm{VE}_\Gamma\right)\) (i.e., abelianity of the identity component \(G^\circ\)) implies that of \(\mathrm{Gal}\left(\mathrm{NVE}_\Gamma\right)\), all that is needed by the authors is to apply basic algebrization procedures to \(\left(\mathrm{NVE}_\Gamma\right)\) in order to apply Kovacic's algorithm and conclude that the \emph{RPTBP} is meromorphically non-integrable. The article ends with a short disquisition on technicalities arising from some steps of the proof, and the way in which those steps and potential pitfalls had been successfully addressed.