arXiv · 2409.16545
Equivalence of Rigid Motions and Relative Equilibria in the N-Body Problem on the Two-Sphere
Abstract
We investigate the relationship between rigid motions and relative equilibria in the N-body problem on the two-dimensional sphere, S2. We prove that any rigid motion of the N-body system on S2 must be a relative equilibrium. Our approach extends the classical study of rigid body dynamics by Euler and utilizes a rotating frame attached to the particles to derive the corresponding equations of motion. We further show that our results can be extended to the N-body gravitational system in R3. The results are oriented to a broader understanding of the dynamics of N-body systems on curved surfaces.
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Toshiaki Fujiwara, Ernesto Pérez-Chavela, Shuqiang Zhu. 2024-09-25. Equivalence of Rigid Motions and Relative Equilibria in the N-Body Problem on the Two-Sphere. https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.16545
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