Orbits in the Problem of Two Fixed Centers on the Sphere

    2017, Volume 22, Number 5, pp.  520-542

    Author(s): Gonzalez Leon M. A., Mateos Guilarte J., de la Torre Mayado M.

    A trajectory isomorphism between the two Newtonian fixed center problem in the sphere and two associated planar two fixed center problems is constructed by performing two simultaneous gnomonic projections in $S^2$. This isomorphism converts the original quadratures into elliptic integrals and allows the bifurcation diagram of the spherical problem to be analyzed in terms of the corresponding ones of the planar systems. The dynamics along the orbits in the different regimes for the problem in $S^2$ is expressed in terms of Jacobi elliptic functions.
    Keywords: spherical two-center problem, separation of variables, spheroconical coordinates, elliptic coordinates
    Citation: Gonzalez Leon M. A., Mateos Guilarte J., de la Torre Mayado M., Orbits in the Problem of Two Fixed Centers on the Sphere, Regular and Chaotic Dynamics, 2017, Volume 22, Number 5, pp. 520-542



    Access to the full text on the Springer website