Warwick Tucker: Relative equilibria for the n-body problem

Abstract:

We will discuss the classical problem from celestial mechanics of determining the number of relative equilibria a set of planets can display. Several already established results will be presented, as well as a new contribution (in terms of a new proof) for the restricted 4-body problem. We will discuss its possible extensions to harder instances of the general problem. This is joint work with Piotr Zgliczynski and Jordi-Lluis Figueras.