Coorbital Periodic Orbits in the Three Body Problem

Abstract

We consider the dynamics of coorbital motion of two small moons about a large planet which have nearly circular orbits with almost equal radii. These moons avoid collision because they switch orbits during each close encounter. We approach the problem as a perturbation of decoupled Kepler problems as in Poincare's periodic orbits of the first kind. The perturbation is large but only in a small region in the phase space. We discuss the relationship required among the small quantities (radial separation, mass, and minimum angular separation). Persistence of the orbits is discussed.