Symmetry groups and non-planar collisionless action-minimizing solutions of the three-body problem in three-dimensional space

Abstract

Periodic and quasi-periodic solutions of the n-body problem can be found as minimizers of the Lagrangian action functional restricted to suitable spaces of symmetric paths. The main purpose of this paper is to develop a systematic approach to the equivariant minimization for the three-body problem in the three-dimensional space. First we give a finite complete list of symmetry groups fit to the minimization of the action, with the property that any other symmetry group can be reduced to be isomorphic to one of these representatives. A second step is to prove that the resulting (local and global) symmetric action-minimizers are always collisionless (when they are not already bound to collisions). Furthermore, we prove some results addressed to the question whether minimizers are planar or non-planar; as a consequence of the theory we will give general criteria for a symmetry group to yield planar or homographic minimizers (either homographic or not, as in the Chenciner-Montgomery eight solution); on the other hand we will provide a rigorous proof of the existence of some interesting one-parameter families of periodic and quasi-periodic non-planar orbits. These include the choreographic Marchal's $P_{12}$ family with equal masses -- together with a less-symmetric choreographic family (which anyway probably coincides with the $P_{12}$).