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Simon Portegies Zwart

Publications and source records attributed to Simon Portegies Zwart.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

The origin of the most recently ejected OB runaway star from the R136 cluster

The $\sim 60\,000$ solar-mass (\MSun) star-cluster R136 (NGC~2070) in the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud is the host of at least 55 massive stars ($M \apgt 10$\,\MSun) which move away from the cluster at projected velocities $\gteq 27.5$\,km/s \cite{2024Natur.634..809S}. The origin of the high velocities of such runaway stars have been debated since the 1960s, resulting either from dynamical ejections \citep{1961BAN....15..265B,1961BAN....15..291B} or from supernova explosions \citep{1983ApJ...267..322H}. Due to the Gaia satellite's outstanding precision, we can now retrace the most recently ejected binary star, Mel 34, back to the center of R136 and reconstruct the events that 52\,000 years ago let to its removal from R136, i.e., we establish its dynamical interaction and ejection history. We find that this ejection requires the participation of 5 stars in a strong interaction between a triple composed of the tight massive binary Mel~39 orbited by the star VFTS~590, and the binary star Mel~34. The participation of 5 stars is unexpected because runaway stars were not expected to result from triple interactions \cite{2011Sci...334.1380F}. The deterministic nature of the Newtonian dynamics in the scattering enables us to reconstruct the encounter that ejected Mel~34. We then predict that Mel~39 is a binary star with an 80\,\Msun\, companion star that orbits within $\sim 1^\circ$ in the same plane as Mel~34, and escapes the cluster with a velocity of $\sim 64$\,km/s. The five stars will undergo supernova explosions in the coming 5\,Myr at a distance of $\sim 180$\,pc to $\sim 332$\,pc from their birth location (R\,136). The resulting black hole binaries, however, are not expected to merge within a Hubble time.

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He awa whiria: the tidal streams of interstellar objects

Upcoming surveys are likely to discover a new sample of interstellar objects (ISOs) within the Solar System, but questions remain about the origin and distribution of this population within the Galaxy. ISOs are ejected from their host systems with a range of velocities, spreading out into tidal streams - analogous to the stellar streams routinely observed from the disruption of star clusters and dwarf galaxies. We create a simulation of ISO streams orbiting in the Galaxy, deriving a simple model for their density distribution over time. We then construct a population model to predict the properties of the streams in which the Sun is currently embedded. We find that the number of streams encountered by the Sun is quite large, ~ 10^6 or more. However, the wide range of stream properties means that for reasonable future samples of ISOs observed in the Solar System, we may see ISOs from the same star ("siblings"), and we are likely to see ISOs from the same star cluster ("cousins"). We also find that ISOs are typically not traceable to their parent star, though this may be possible for ISO siblings. Any ISOs observed with a common origin will come from younger, dynamically colder streams.

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Massive Interacting Binaries Enhance Feedback in Star-Forming Regions

We present a new framework to incorporate feedback from massive interacting binaries in simulations of star cluster formation. Our new feedback model adds binary stellar evolution to the cluster formation code Torch, and couples it in AMUSE to the pre-existing modules for collisional stellar dynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, and mechanical and radiative feedback. Our model accounts for the effects of mass transfer on the stars' mass loss rates, their radiation spectra, and the timing of core-collapse supernovae. It also injects mass lost through non-conservative mass transfer and common envelope ejection into the interstellar medium. We demonstrate the use of our feedback model through simulations of isolated binaries in a gaseous medium, and of embedded clusters of massive binaries. Feedback from interacting binaries efficiently couples with the surrounding interstellar medium. It increases the size of HII regions, increases the kinetic and thermal energy of the gas, and increases the pressure within HII regions compared to models that use single star stellar evolution. Those differences arise from the ionizing radiation, which increases by three orders of magnitude, resulting in HII regions that expand due to thermal pressure rather than radiation pressure. The effects of stellar dynamics and the gravitational potential of the background gas cause the evolution of individual binaries to deviate from the predictions made by secular evolution, impacting the subsequent feedback from the binary. We conclude that massive interacting binaries are an important source of feedback in cluster-forming regions, and must be considered when studying the emerging timescales of young star clusters.

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A Resonant Beginning for the Solar System Terrestrial Planets

In the past two decades, transit surveys have revealed a class of planets with thick atmospheres -- sub-Neptunes -- that must have completed their accretion in protoplanet disks. When planets form in the gaseous disk, the gravitational interaction with the disk gas drives their migration and results in the trapping of neighboring planets in mean motion resonances, though these resonances can later be broken when the damping effects of disk gas or planetesimals wane. It is widely accepted that the outer Solar System gas giant planets originally formed in a resonant chain, which was later disrupted by dynamical instabilities. Here, we explore whether the early formation of the terrestrial planets in a resonance chain (including Theia) can evolve to the present configuration. Using N-body simulations, we demonstrate that the giant planet instability would also have destabilized the terrestrial resonance chain, triggering moon-forming giant impacts in 20--50\% of our simulated systems, dependent on the initial resonance architecture. After the instability, the eccentricity and inclination of the simulated planets match their present-day values. Under the proposed scenario, the current period ratio of 3.05 between Mars and Venus -- devoid of any special significance in traditional late formation models -- naturally arises as a relic of the former resonance chain.

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Stability of a cluster-disrupted mean-motion resonance (chain) in HR 8799 and PDS 70

HR~8799 is a planetary system with four planets potentially in a mean-motion resonance chain. It is unclear from the observations if they are in mean-motion resonance. Similarly, PDS~70 has two observed planets also potentially in mean-motion resonance. We simulate HR~8799 and PDS~70 under external perturbations to study their responds if in resonance or mean-motion resonance. We integrate the equations of motion for HR~8799 and PDS~70 starting with either in resonance or in mean-motion resonance and study their in isolation and in a star cluster. In the star cluster, we take the effects of passing stars into account. The dynamics of the star cluster is resolved using the Lonely Planets module in AMUSE. HR~8799 and PDS~70 in mean-motion resonance are stable, whereas in non-resonance they dissolve in $0.303\pm0.042$Myr and $1.26\pm0.25$Myr, respectively. In a cluster, the non-resonant HR~8799 is slightly more stable than in isolation, but still dissolves in $0.300\pm0.043$Myr, whereas the resonant planetary system remains stable for at least $0.71$Myr. In contrast, a non-resonant PDS~70 system is approximately equally stable in a cluster compared to isolation, and dissolves in $1.03\pm0.20$Myr, whereas the resonant PDS~70 system remains stable for at least $0.83$Myr. Considering the more stable solutions of mean-motion resonance for HR~8799, we argue that the planetary system was born in mean-motion resonance and that the mean-motion resonance was preserved. If HR~8799 was not born in resonance, the probability that it survived until the present day is negligible. Similarly, we argue that PDS~70 was probably born in mean-motion resonance and that its state was preserved. We also find that it is almost possible for planetary systems with a broken mean-motion resonance chain to survive longer in a perturbing cluster environment compared to isolation.

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Oort Cloud Formation and Evolution in Star Clusters

It is unknown if an Oort cloud reaches its maximum mass within its star's birth cluster or millions of years later. Complicating the Oort cloud evolution process is the fact that comets can be stripped from orbit due to perturbations from passing stars. We explore how a star's cluster escape time (t$_{ \rm esc}$) and the time its Oort cloud reaches maximum mass (t$_{ \rm max}$) affect the Oort cloud's ability to survive via $N$-body simulations. In a 14 M$_\odot$/pc$^3$ cluster, we identify 50 stars of 1 M$_\odot$ with a range of t$_{ \rm esc}$ to host Oort clouds, each with 1000 comets at t$_{ \rm max}$. For each host, we consider Oort clouds that reach maximum mass 0, 50, and 250 Myr after the cluster's formation. Each Oort cloud's evolution is simulated in the cluster from t$_{ \rm max}$ to t$_{ \rm esc}$. Only a fraction of comets tend to remain in orbit, with this amount depending on t$_{ \rm max}$ and t$_{ \rm esc}$. We observe that 12%, 22%, and 32% of Oort clouds with a t$_{ \rm max}$ of 0, 50 and 250 Myr retain >50% of their comets at t$_{ \rm esc}$, respectively. We find that the fraction of comets stripped has the relationship, $\rm f=m\log_{10}(\frac{t_{ \rm esc}-t_{ \rm max}}{Myr})$ where m = 0.32$\pm$0.04, indicating that the longer the Oort cloud remains in the cluster, the more comets are stripped, with this fraction increasing logarithmically at approximately the same rate for each t$_{ \rm max}$.

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Oort Cloud Ecology. III. The Sun left the parent star cluster shortly after the giant planets formed

The Sun was born in a clustered environment with 10,000 other stars. Being an isolated star today, the Sun must have left the nest. We do not directly know when that happened, how violent the ejection was, or how far the Solar siblings have drifted apart. The mass of the fragile outer Opic-Oort cloud, (between $r_{\rm inner} \sim 30,000$\,au and $200\,000$au from the Sun) and the orbital distribution of planetesimals in the inner Hills-Oort cloud (between $\sim 1000$\,au and $\sim 30\,000$ au) are sensitive to the dynamical processes involving the Sun in the parent cluster. We aim at understanding the extend to which observing the Oort cloud constrains the Sun's birth environment. This is achieved by a combination of theoretical arguments and N-body simulations. We show that the current mass of the Opic-Oort cloud (between 0.2 and $2.0$ Earth masses) is best explained if the Sun left the nest within $\sim 20$\,Myr after the giant planets formed and migrated. As a consequence, the possible dynamical encounter with another star carving the Kuiper belt, the Sun's abduction of Sedna, and other perturbations induced by nearby stars then must have happened shortly after the giant planets in the Solar system formed, but before the Sun left the parent cluster. Signatures of the time spend in the parent cluster must still be visible in the outer parts of the Solar system today. The strongest constraints will be the discovery of a population of relatively low-eccentricity ($e < 0.9$) inner Oort-cloud (but $500 < a < 10^4$\,au) objects.

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Massive star cluster formation II. Runaway stars as fossils of sub-cluster mergers

Two main mechanisms have classically been proposed for the formation of runaway stars. In the binary supernova scenario (BSS), a massive star in a binary explodes as a supernova, ejecting its companion. In the dynamical ejection scenario, a star is ejected during a strong dynamical encounter between multiple stars. We propose a third mechanism for the formation of runaway stars: the subcluster ejection scenario (SCES), where a subset of stars from an infalling subcluster is ejected out of the cluster via a tidal interaction with the contracting gravitational potential of the assembling cluster. We demonstrate the SCES in a star-by-star simulation of the formation of a young massive cluster from a $10^6\rm~M_\odot$ gas cloud using the Torch framework. This star cluster forms hierarchically through a sequence of subcluster mergers determined by the initial turbulent, spherical conditions of the gas. We find that these mergers drive the formation of runaway stars in our model. Late-forming subclusters fall into the central potential, where they are tidally disrupted, forming tidal tails of runaway stars that are distributed highly anisotropically. Runaways formed in the same SCES have similar ages, velocities, and ejection directions. Surveying observations, we identify several SCES candidate groups with anisotropic ejection directions. The SCES is capable of producing runaway binaries: two wide dynamical binaries in infalling subclusters were tightened through ejection. This allows for another velocity kick via subsequent via a subsequent BSS ejection. An SCES-BSS ejection is a possible avenue for the creation of hypervelocity stars unbound to the Galaxy. We expect nonspherical initial gas distributions to increase the number of calculated runaway stars. The observation of groups of runaway stars formed via the SCES can thus reveal the assembly history of their natal clusters.

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Massive star cluster formation I. High star formation efficiency while resolving feedback of individual stars

The mode of star formation that results in the formation of globular clusters and young massive clusters is difficult to constrain through observations. We present models of massive star cluster formation using the Torch framework, which uses AMUSE to couple distinct multi-physics codes that handle star formation, stellar evolution and dynamics, radiative transfer, and magnetohydrodynamics. We upgrade Torch by implementing the N-body code PeTar, thereby enabling Torch to handle massive clusters forming from $10^6\rm\, M_\odot$ clouds with $\ge10^5$ individual stars. We present results from Torch simulations of star clusters forming from $10^4, 10^5$, and $10^6\rm M_\odot$ turbulent, spherical gas clouds (named M4, M5, M6) of radius $R=11.7$ pc. We find that star formation is highly efficient and becomes more so at higher cloud mass and surface density. For M4, M5, and M6 with initial surface densities $2.325\times 10^{1,2,3}\rm\, M_\odot\, pc^{-2}$, after a free-fall time of $t_{ff}=6.7,2.1,0.67$ Myr, we find that $\sim$30%, 40%, and 60% of the cloud mass has formed into stars, respectively. The final integrated star formation efficiency is 32%, 65%, and 85% for M4, M5, and M6. Observations of nearby clusters similar to M4 have similar integrated star formation efficiencies of $\leq$30%. The M5 and M6 models represent a different regime of cluster formation that is more appropriate for the conditions in starburst galaxies and gas-rich galaxies at high redshift, and that leads to a significantly higher efficiency of star formation. We argue that young massive clusters build up through short efficient bursts of star formation in regions that are sufficiently dense ($\ge 10^2 \rm\,M_\odot\,pc^{-2}$) and massive ($\ge10^5\rm\, M_\odot$). In such environments, the dynamical time of the cloud becomes short enough that stellar feedback cannot act quickly enough to slow star formation.

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Reinforcement Learning for Adaptive Time-Stepping in the Chaotic Gravitational Three-Body Problem

Many problems in astrophysics cover multiple orders of magnitude in spatial and temporal scales. While simulating systems that experience rapid changes in these conditions, it is essential to adapt the (time-) step size to capture the behavior of the system during those rapid changes and use a less accurate time step at other, less demanding, moments. We encounter three problems with traditional methods. Firstly, making such changes requires expert knowledge of the astrophysics as well as of the details of the numerical implementation. Secondly, some parameters that determine the time-step size are fixed throughout the simulation, which means that they do not adapt to the rapidly changing conditions of the problem. Lastly, we would like the choice of time-step size to balance accuracy and computation effort. We address these challenges with Reinforcement Learning by training it to select the time-step size dynamically. We use the integration of a system of three equal-mass bodies that move due to their mutual gravity as an example of its application. With our method, the selected integration parameter adapts to the specific requirements of the problem, both in terms of computation time and accuracy while eliminating the expert knowledge needed to set up these simulations. Our method produces results competitive to existing methods and improve the results found with the most commonly-used values of time-step parameter. This method can be applied to other integrators without further retraining. We show that this extrapolation works for variable time-step integrators but does not perform to the desired accuracy for fixed time-step integrators.

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Massive Star Cluster Formation with Binaries. I. Evolution of Binary Populations

We study the evolution of populations of binary stars within massive cluster-forming regions. We simulate the formation of young massive star clusters within giant molecular clouds with masses ranging from 2 x 10$^{4}$ to 3.2 x 10$^{5}$ M$_{\odot}$. We use Torch, which couples stellar dynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, star and binary formation, stellar evolution, and stellar feedback through the AMUSE framework. We find that the binary fraction decreases during cluster formation at all molecular cloud masses. The binaries' orbital properties also change, with stronger and quicker changes in denser, more massive clouds. Most of the changes we see can be attributed to the disruption of binaries wider than 100 au, although the close binary fraction also decreases in the densest cluster-forming region. The binary fraction for O stars remains above 90%, but exchanges and dynamical hardening are ubiquitous, indicating that O stars undergo frequent few-body interactions early during the cluster formation process. Changes to the populations of binaries are a by-product of hierarchical cluster assembly: most changes to the binary population take place when the star formation rate is high and there are frequent mergers between sub-clusters in the cluster-forming region. A universal primordial binary distribution based on observed inner companions in the Galactic field is consistent with the binary populations of young clusters with resolved stellar populations, and the scatter between clusters of similar masses could be explained by differences in their formation history.

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Two waves of massive stars running away from the young cluster R136

Massive stars are predominantly born in stellar associations or clusters. Their radiation fields, stellar winds, and supernovae strongly impact their local environment. In the first few million years of a cluster's life, massive stars are dynamically ejected running away from the cluster at high speed. However, the production rate of dynamically ejected runaways is poorly constrained. Here we report on a sample of 55 massive runaway stars ejected from the young cluster R136 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Astrometric analysis with Gaia reveals two channels of dynamically ejected runaways. The first channel ejects massive stars in all directions and is consistent with dynamical interactions during and after the birth of R136. The second channel launches stars in a preferred direction and may be related to a cluster interaction. We find that 23-33% of the most luminous stars initially born in R136 are runaways. Model predictions have significantly underestimated the dynamical escape fraction of massive stars. Consequently, their role in shaping and heating the interstellar and galactic medium, along with their role in driving galactic outflows, is far more important than previously thought.

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On the origin of transition disk cavities: Pebble-accreting protoplanets vs Super-Jupiters

Protoplanetary disks surrounding young stars are the birth places of planets. Among them, transition disks with inner dust cavities of tens of au are sometimes suggested to host massive companions. Yet, such companions are often not detected. Some transition disks exhibit a large amount of gas inside the dust cavity and relatively high stellar accretion rates, which contradicts typical models of gas-giant-hosting systems. Therefore, we investigate whether a sequence of low-mass planets can produce cavities in the dust disk. We evolve the disks with low-mass accreting embryos in combination with 1D dust transport and 3D pebble accretion, to investigate the reduction of the pebble flux at the embryos' orbits. We vary the planet and disk properties. We find that multiple pebble-accreting planets can efficiently decrease the dust surface density, resulting in dust cavities consistent with transition disks. The number of low-mass planets necessary to sweep up all pebbles decreases with decreasing turbulent strength and is preferred when the dust Stokes number is $10^{-2}-10^{-4}$. Compared to dust rings caused by pressure bumps, those by efficient pebble accretion exhibit more extended outer edges. We also highlight the observational reflections: the transition disks with rings featuring extended outer edges tend to have a large gas content in the dust cavities and rather high stellar accretion rates. We propose that planet-hosting transition disks consist of two groups. In Group A disks, planets have evolved into gas giants, opening deep gaps in the gas disk. Pebbles concentrate in pressure maxima, forming dust rings. In Group B, multiple Neptunes (unable to open deep gas gaps) accrete incoming pebbles, causing the appearance of inner dust cavities. The morphological discrepancy of these rings may aid in distinguishing between the two groups using high-resolution ALMA observations.

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Binary Disruption and Ejected Stars from Hierarchical Star Cluster Assembly

We simulate mergers between star clusters embedded within their natal giant molecular cloud. We extract initial conditions from cloud-scale simulations of cluster formation and introduce different prescriptions for primordial binaries. We find that simulations that do not include primordial binaries result in a larger fraction of unbound stars than simulations which include a prescription for binaries based on observations. We also find a preferred direction of motion for stars that become unbound during the merger. Sub-cluster mergers within realistic gas environments promote binary disruption while mergers between idealized, gas-rich spherical clusters do not produce the same disruption. Binary systems with smaller semi-major axes are disrupted in simulations of sub-cluster mergers within their natal environment compared to simulations that do not include the realistic gas environment. We conclude that binary disruption and the production of an anisotropic distribution of unbound stars are the natural consequences of sub-cluster mergers during star cluster assembly.

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Trajectory of the stellar flyby that shaped the outer solar system

Unlike the Solar System planets, thousands of smaller bodies beyond Neptune orbit the Sun on eccentric ($e >$ 0.1) and ($i>$ 3$^\circ$) orbits. While migration of the giant planets during the early stages of Solar System evolution can induce substantial scattering of trans-Neptunian objects (TNO), this process cannot account for the small number of distant TNOs ($r_p >$ 60 au) outside the planets' reach. The alternative scenario of the close flyby of another star can instead produce all these TNO features simultaneously, but the possible parameter space for such an encounter is vast. Here, we compare observed TNO properties with thousands of flyby simulations to determine the specific properties of a flyby that reproduces all the different dynamical TNO populations, their location and their relative abundance and find that a 0.8$^{+0.1}_{-0.1}$ $M_{\odot}$ star passing at a distance of $ r_p =$ 110 $\mathbf{\pm}$ 10 au, inclined by $i$ = 70$^\circ$ $^{+5}_{-10}$ gives a near-perfect match. This flyby also replicates the retrograde TNO population, which has proved difficult to explain. Such a flyby is reasonably frequent; at least 140 million solar-type stars in the Milky Way are likely to have experienced a similar one. In light of these results, we predict that the upcoming Vera Rubin telescope will reveal that distant and retrograde TNOs are relatively common.

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On the suppression of giant planet formation around low-mass stars in clustered environments

Context: Current exoplanet formation studies tend to overlook the birth environment of stars in clustered environments. The effect of this environment on the planet-formation process, however, is important, especially in the earliest stage. Aims: We investigate the differences in planet populations forming in star-cluster environments through pebble accretion and compare these results with the planet formation around isolated stars. We try to provide potential signatures on the young planetary systems to guide future observation. Methods: We design and present a new planet population synthesis code for clustered environments. The planet formation model is based on pebble accretion and includes migration in the circumstellar disk. The disk's gas and dust are evolved in 1D simulations considering the effects of photo-evaporation of the nearby stars. Results: Planetary systems in a clustered environment are different than those born in isolation; the environmental effects are important for a wide range of observable parameters and the eventual architecture of the planetary systems. Planetary systems born in a clustered environment lack cold Jupiters compared to isolated planetary systems. This effect is more pronounced for low-mass stars ($\lesssim$0.2 $M_\odot$). On the other hand, planetary systems born in clusters show an excess of cold Neptune around these low-mass stars. Conclusions: In future observations, finding an excess of cold Neptunes and a lack of cold Jupiters could be used to constrain the birth environments of these planetary systems. Exploring the dependence of cold Jupiter's intrinsic occurrence rate on stellar mass provides insights into the birth environment of their proto-embryos.

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Venice: a multi-scale operator-splitting algorithm for multi-physics simulations

We present {\sc Venice}, an operator splitting algorithm to integrate a numerical model on a hierarchy of timescales. {\sc Venice} allows a wide variety of different physical processes operating a different scales to be coupled on individual and adaptive time-steps. It therewith mediates the development of complex multi-scale and multi-physics simulation environments with a wide variety of independent components. The coupling between various physical models and scales is dynamic, and realized through (Strang) operators splitting using adaptive time steps. We demonstrate the functionality and performance of this algorithm using astrophysical models of a stellar cluster, first coupling gravitational dynamics and stellar evolution, then coupling internal gravitational dynamics with dynamics within a galactic background potential, and finally combining these models while also introducing dwarf galaxy-like perturbers. These tests show numerical convergence for decreasing coupling timescales, demonstrate how {\sc Venice} can improve the performance of a simulation by shortening coupling timescales when appropriate, and provide a case study of how {\sc Venice} can be used to gradually build up and tune a complex multi-physics model. Although the examples couple complete numerical models, {\sc Venice} can also be used to efficiently solve systems of stiff differential equations.

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Isles of regularity in a sea of chaos amid the gravitational three-body problem

The three-body problem (3BP) poses a longstanding challenge in physics and celestial mechanics. Despite the impossibility of obtaining general analytical solutions, statistical theories have been developed based on the ergodic principle. This assumption is justified by chaos, which is expected to fully mix the accessible phase space of the 3BP. This study probes the presence of regular (i.e. non chaotic) trajectories within the 3BP and assesses their impact on statistical escape theories. Using numerical simulations, we establish criteria for identifying regular trajectories and analyse their impact on statistical outcomes. Our analysis reveals that regular trajectories occupy up to 32% of the phase space, and their outcomes defy the predictions of statistical escape theories. The coexistence of regular and chaotic regions at all scales is characterized by a multi-fractal behaviour. Integration errors manifest as numerical chaos, artificially enhancing the mixing of the phase space and affecting the reliability of individual simulations, yet preserving the statistical correctness of an ensemble of realizations. Our findings underscore the challenges in applying statistical escape theories to astrophysical problems, as they may bias results by excluding the outcome of regular trajectories. This is particularly important in the context of formation scenarios of gravitational wave mergers, where biased estimates of binary eccentricity can significantly impact estimates of coalescence efficiency and detectable eccentricity.

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