Spiral structures and chaotic scattering of coorbital satellites (Q5948625)

The transition between two sets of orbits separated by heteroclinic or homoclinic orbits is studied in Hill's problem wherein two coorbital satellites with small masses revolve around a large planet. When the distance between the two satellites becomes sufficiently small, their mutual attraction is of the same order as the attraction of the large body. The zero velocity curves are presented in figures. To solve the equations for the relative positions of the satellites, the authors use the Deprit-Henrard scheme. The phenomenon when one set of the orbits corresponds to coorbital satellites exchanging semi-major axes after close encounter (horse-shoe orbits) and the other one corresponds to orbits which do not exchange semi-major axes (passing-by orbits), is analyzed in details. It is shown how to construct a normalized approximation of the flow of a Hamiltonian system with two degrees of freedom in the vicinity of unstable periodic orbits. The relationships between orbits are shown using the spiral nature of Poincaré sections.