N-body dynamics on closed surfaces : the axioms of mechanics
Abstract
A major challenge for our understanding of the mathematical basis of particle dynamics is the formulation of N-body and N-vortex dynamics on Riemann surfaces. In this paper, we show how the two problems are, in fact, closely related when considering the role played by the intrinsic geometry of the surface. This enables a straightforward deduction of the dynamics of point masses, using recently derived results for point vortices on general closed differentiable surfaces M endowed with a metric g. We find, generally, that Kepler's Laws do not hold. What is more, even Newton's First Law (the law of inertia) fails on closed surfaces with variable curvature (e.g. the ellipsoid).
Citation
Boatto , S , Dritschel , D G & Schaefer , R G 2016 , ' N-body dynamics on closed surfaces : the axioms of mechanics ' , Proceedings of the Royal Society A - Mathematical, Physical & Engineering Sciences , vol. 472 , no. 2192 , 20160020 , pp. 1-20 . https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2016.0020
Publication
Proceedings of the Royal Society A - Mathematical, Physical & Engineering Sciences
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1364-5021Type
Journal article
Description
D.G.D. gratefully acknowledges support for this research from CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico ) and FINEP (Inovação e Pesquisa) in Brazil, and from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (grant no. EP/H001794/1)Collections
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