A Stability Timescale for Nonhierarchical Three-body Systems
A Stability Timescale for Nonhierarchical Three-body Systems
Abstract The gravitational three-body problem is a fundamental problem in physics and has significant applications to astronomy. Three-body configurations are often considered stable as long the system is hierarchical; that is, the two orbital distances are well-separated. However, instability, which is often associated with significant energy exchange between orbits, takes …