The three-body problem, a formidable challenge in physics and mathematics, has just experienced a significant breakthrough. An international team of mathematicians claims to have found no fewer than 12,000 new solutions to this puzzle that has baffled thinkers for over 300 years.
The three-body problem involves predicting the motion of three celestial objects interacting gravitationally. While the motion of two objects in orbit can be described by simple equations, adding a third object greatly complicates the calculations. Isaac Newton laid the groundwork for this problem more than 300 years ago, and mathematicians have been seeking solutions ever since.
Ivan Hristov, a mathematician at the University of Sofia in Bulgaria, and his team have used a supercomputer to find these new solutions. Unlike the simple orbit of our planet around the sun, the orbits in a three-body system can resemble tangled spirals. The objects drift apart and draw closer in a complex yet predictable dance.
These new solutions could be invaluable for astronomers. Three-body systems are common in the universe. However, the stability of these orbits has yet to be verified. Juhan Frank, an astronomer at Louisiana State University, is skeptical about their long-term stability.
According to Ivan Hristov, whether stable or not, these solutions are of great theoretical interest. Their physical and astronomical relevance will be better understood after more extensive stability studies.