Chaotic motion of three-body problem : an origin of macroscopic randomness of the universe

TL;DR

This paper uses highly accurate numerical simulations to show that micro-level uncertainties in the positions of celestial bodies can lead to macroscopic randomness in the universe, highlighting the inherent unpredictability of chaotic three-body systems.

Contribution

It demonstrates that micro-level uncertainties can evolve into macroscopic chaos in three-body systems using the Clean Numerical Simulation method, providing new insights into the origins of cosmic randomness.

Findings

Micro-level uncertainties can cause macroscopic chaos.

Long-term orbits of three-body systems are inherently unpredictable.

Uncertainty transfer is independent of human measurement capabilities.

Abstract

The famous three-body problem is investigated by means of a numerical approach with negligible numerical noises in a long enough time interval, namely the Clean Numerical Simulation (CNS). From physical viewpoints, position of any bodies contains inherent micro-level uncertainty. The evaluations of such kind of inherent micro-level uncertainty are accurately simulated by means of the CNS. Our reliable, very accurate CNS results indicate that the inherent micro-level uncertainty of position of a star/planet might transfer into macroscopic randomness. Thus, the inherent micro-level uncertainty of a body might be an origin of macroscopic randomness of the universe. In addition, from physical viewpoints, orbits of some three-body systems at large time are inherently random, and thus it has no physical meanings to talk about the accurate long-term prediction of the chaotic orbits. Note that such kind of uncertainty and randomness has nothing to do with the ability of human being. All of these might enrich our knowledge and deepen our understandings about not only the three-body problem but also chaos.