A numerical and analytical investigation of three-body scattering (3BS) is presented, based on a set of 10,000 numerical scattering experiments conducted within the framework of a Monte Carlo-approach program of 3BS calculations (Hut and Bahcall, 1983). The many facets of the three-body problem are reviewed, and the general differences between positive and negative-energy systems are characterized. It is shown that 4, 7, 9, and 10 essential parameters suffice to describe the orbit structure of 3BS as a mapping from initial to final motion in 1, 2, 3, and 4 or more dimensions, respectively. Maps of this type are used to display the qualitative results of the numerical calculations, and the topology of the solutions is shown to agree well with theoretical predictions for positive and negative-energy cases and in terms of angular momentum. The implications of quantitative 3BS determinations for dynamical studies of such systems as binary stars in globular and galactic clusters, comets in the solar system, or black holes in the centers of merging galaxies are indicated.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Piet Hut (1983) studied this question.