Non-collision singularities in the planar two-center-two-body problem (Q303756)

This paper deals with a restricted four-body problem called the planar two-center-two-body problem. The authors consider two fixed centers in the plane, say \(Q_1\) and \(Q_2\) with masses 1, and two moving bodies \(Q_3\) and \(Q_4\) of masses \(\mu \ll 1\), interacting each other via the Newtonian potential. The goal of this paper is to use the two-center-two-body problem as a simplified setting to the one given by \textit{J. L. Gerver} in [Exp. Math. 12, No. 2, 187--198 (2003; Zbl 1254.70027)], to prove that there exists a Cantor set of initial conditions that lead to solutions of the four-body problem whose velocities are accelerated to infinity within finite time, avoiding all earlier collisions. Since \(Q_3\) has an elliptic motion with focus at \(Q_2\) and \(Q_4\) has a hyperbolic motion with focus at \(Q_2\), to perform the proof they use the Delaunay symplectic variables, providing great detail of the calculations carried out.