No label defined (Q4338643)

A brief review of the mathematical theory which explains the gravitational motion of the planets in the solar system in the framework of the Hamiltonian dynamics is given. The paper is organized in six sections in the following way: In the first section, a review of the very basic theory of Hamilton's equations, contact transformations and the Hamilton-Jacobi equation is presented. In section 2, the author applies Hamilton-Jacobi theory to Kepler's problem to derive the angle-action canonical set of coordinates (often called the Delaunay set). Some alternative sets to Delaunay's variables that could be used when they become singular are proposed. In section 4 the author presents the canonical formulation of the gravitational \(N+1\)-problem (\(\text{Sun}+N\) planets) in perturbative form. The system is described in terms of the so-called baricentric inertial chain due to Jacobi in which, for a given enumeration of the bodies (typically Sun, Planet 1,\dots,Planet \(N\)), the position of each body is referred to the center of mass of all those before it in this enumeration. The author shows that after eliminating the motion of the center of mass of the whole system, the remaining \(N\) vectors of the baricentric chain satisfy a set of perturbed Hamiltonian equations of \(N\) Keplerian motions. This allows to introduce an extended canonical set of Delaunay variables so that the resulting differential equations are the canonical version of Lagrange's planetary equations. In this setting the author shows how Lie series transformations may be used to simplify the Hamiltonian function transforming it to a completely integrable problem. Finally, some comments on the so-called small divisors which appear in the simplifying canonical transformations are also included. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0845.00056].