\(N\)-body dynamics on an infinite cylinder: the topological signature in the dynamics (Q2176443)

This paper is devoted to study the dynamics of \(N\) bodies on the surface of an infinite cylinder. The main goal is to understand how the dynamics of the particle system is affected by the topology of the underlying space where the motion takes place. For this purpose, the authors need to generalize the notion of gravitational potential on a general manifold. They use a result from [the second author et al., Proc. R. Soc. Lond., A, Math. Phys. Eng. Sci. 472, No. 2192, Article ID 20160020, 20 p. (2016; Zbl 1371.70035)] to define the gravitational potential as an attractive central force which obeys Maxwell-like formulas. The two-body dynamics is studied by using differential Galois theory via the Morales-Ramis theorem and numerical integration (Poincaré section maps). In such a way it is proved that the dynamics is no longer integrable on an infinite cylinder. Moreover, by analyzing different energy regimes and complementary Poincaré sections, the authors show how the two-body motion has a very rich structure with a transition to a highly organized striped structure for higher energies. The last part of the paper is devoted to prove that a horizontal polygonal ring configuration of \(N\) identical bodies -- masses or charges -- for systems with total momenta equal to zero is linearly unstable for \(N\geq 2\). The reader should be aware that throughout the paper the authors have relied on many mathematical tools, making the reading not straightforward.