Unveiling the influence of the radiation pressure in nature of orbits in the photogravitational restricted three-body problem

TL;DR

This study investigates how radiation pressure influences orbit types in the photogravitational restricted three-body problem, revealing significant effects on orbit behavior and escape/collision dynamics through numerical analysis.

Contribution

It provides a detailed numerical analysis of orbit classifications in the photogravitational three-body problem, highlighting the impact of radiation pressure on orbit dynamics.

Findings

Radiation pressure significantly alters orbit types.

Identified basins of escape and collision.

Correlated escape/collision times with initial conditions.

Abstract

The case of the planar circular photogravitational restricted three-body problem where the more massive primary is an emitter of radiation is numerically investigated. A thorough numerical analysis takes place in the configuration $(x,y)$ and the $(x,C)$ space in which we classify initial conditions of orbits into three main categories: (i) bounded, (ii) escaping and (iii) collisional. Our results reveal that the radiation pressure factor has a huge impact on the character of orbits. Interpreting the collisional motion as leaking in the phase space we related our results to both chaotic scattering and the theory of leaking Hamiltonian systems. We successfully located the escape as well as the collisional basins and we managed to correlate them with the corresponding escape and collision times. We hope our contribution to be useful for a further understanding of the escape and collision properties of motion in this interesting version of the restricted three-body problem.