Orbital flips in hierarchical triple systems: relativistic effects and third-body effects to hexadecapole order

Abstract

We analyze the secular evolution of hierarchical triple systems in the post-Newtonian approximation to general relativity. We expand the Newtonian three-body equations of motion in powers of the ratio $a/A$, where $a$ and $A$ are the semimajor axis of the inner binary's orbit and of the orbit of the third body relative to the center of mass of the inner binary, respectively. The leading order "quadrupole" terms, of order $(a/A)^3$ relative to the $1/a^2$ acceleration within the inner binary, are responsible for the well-known Kozai-Lidov oscillations of orbital inclination and eccentricity. The octupole terms, of order $(a/A)^4$ have been shown to allow the inner orbit to "flip" from prograde relative to the outer orbit to retrograde and back, and to permit excursions to very large eccentricities. We carry the expansion of the equations of motion to hexadecapole order, corresponding to contributions of order $(a/A)^5$. We also include the leading orbital effects of post-Newtonian theory, namely the pericenter precessions of the inner and outer orbits. Using the Lagrange planetary equations for the orbit elements of both binaries, we average over orbital timescales, obtain the equations for the secular evolution of the elements through hexadecapole order, and employ them to analyze cases of astrophysical interest. We find that, for the most part, the orbital flips found at octupole order are robust against both relativistic and hexadecapole perturbations. We show that, for equal-mass inner binaries, where the octupole terms vanish, the hexadecapole contributions can alone generate orbital flips and excursions to very large eccentricities.