The computational complexity of the initial value problem for the three body problem (Q2406877)

This paper focuses on the theoretical computational complexity of the initial value problem (IVP) for a system of ordinary differential equations. In particular, the authors address a special case of the three-body problem (known as the Sitnikov problem) which is characterized by a complex dynamical behavior of oscillatory solutions. A formal problem statement is provided, which contains a Turing machine with an oracle for getting the initial values as real numbers. It is shown that an exact lower bound on the computational complexity of the IVP for the three-body problem cannot be polynomial. Consequently, this result implies the absence of such a bound for general \(N\)-body problem also.