Binary-syzygy sequence of restricted few-body-few-center problem with symmetric primaries (Q2138481)

The \(N\)-body problem concerns the motion of \(N\) mass particles under their mutual gravitational interaction. The \(N\)-center problem is a simplified version of the \(N\)-body problem, which studies the motion of a free particle under the Newtonian gravitational attraction of \(N\) fixed particles. The few-body-few-center problem is an intermediate problem between the \(N\)-body problem and the \(N\)-center problem. It concerns the systems consisting of few free bodies and few fixed ones, and the motion of free bodies is under the gravitational influence of the whole system. The purpose of this paper is to extend the results from collinear center system into the planar restricted few-body-few-center system with collinear centers and collinear moving primaries, even into planar restricted (\(N + 1\))-body system with a special primary system. In particular, the author considers the planar restricted \(2n\)-body-\(2m\)-center problem with \(2n\) free primaries to identify its syzygy sequences that can be realized by minimizers of the Lagrangian action functional and to count the number of such syzygy sequences. The proof is based on similar ideas to that given in [\textit{K.-C. Chen} and \textit{G. Yu}, Ergodic Theory Dyn. Syst. 38, No. 2, 566--582 (2018; Zbl 1388.37069)], where a minimization method is applied to a fixed time Lagrangian action functional on spaces with purely topological constraints, which enable local deformations to avoid collisions. The first part of the paper provides the variational setting of the restricted \(2n\)-body-\(2m\)-center problem and show the existence of action minimizers. Next, it discusses the asymptotic behavior of the massless particle near two-body collision with a moving primary and establish partial Sundman-Sperling estimates of the massless particle near multi-body collision. Hence it concludes that action minimizers have no multi-body collision with primaries. Then, it is proved that, under certain conditions, the action minimizers are collision-free. At the end, the author reveals similar results for restricted (\(N + 1\))-body problem with the general rhomboidal primary system.