The Three-Body Problem

Mauri Valtonen is a Professor of Astronomy at the University of Turku. Hannu Karttunen is a Systems Manager at Tuorla Observatory, University of Turku.

'… covers a wide range of both theory and applications of an issue central to basic physics. … In the first five chapters, the authors provide a classical mechanics course that goes well beyond the ordinary graduate textbooks. … The authors' main achievement is their coverage in the last five chapters of the many different applications in astrophysics in which one of the three bodies is much lighter than the other two. … In The Three-Body Problem, readers will find the necessary theoretical ingredients and will also enjoy the great variety of technical explanations for phenomena in the solar system and beyond. The book would be useful for a graduate course in modern astrophysics and makes interesting reading for an amateur who has some background in classical mechanics.' Physics Today

• 1. Astrophysics and three-body problem; 2. Newtonian mechanics; 3. Two-body problem; 4. Hamiltonian mechanics; 5. The planar restricted circular three body problem and other special cases; 6. Three-body scattering; 7. Escape in the general three body problem; 8. Scattering and capture in the general problem; 9. Perturbations in hierarchical systems; 10. Perurbations in strong three-body encounters; 11. Some astrophysical problems.