Special Session 58: 

Mathematical models for the Sun-Jupiter-Hektor-Skamandrios system

Marian Gidea
Yeshiva University
USA
Co-Author(s):    Jaime Burgos-Garcia, Alessandra Celletti, Catalin Gales, and Wai-Ting Lam
Abstract:
We consider a restricted four-body problem, where three heavy bodies of different masses are of oblate shape, and a fourth, infinitesimal body, orbits in the neighborhood of the smallest of the three bodies. We first find that the triangular central configurations of the three heavy oblate bodies is a scalene triangle (rather than an equilateral triangle as in the point mass case). Then we perform a Hill approximation of the equations of motion describing the dynamics of the infinitesimal body. Finally, for the Hill approximation, we find the equilibrium points for the motion of the infinitesimal body and determine their stability. As a motivating example, we consider the dynamics of the moonlet Skamandrios of Jupiter`s Trojan asteroid Hektor.