MODELING THE EVOLUTION OF A CLUSTER OF GRAVITATING BODIES TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THEIR ABSOLUTELY INELASTIC COLLISIONS

Abstract

Numerical simulation of evolution of a cluster of a finite number of gravitating bodies interacting only by their intrinsic gravity has been carried out. The goal of the study was to reveal the main characteristic phases of the spatial distribution of material bodies constituting the cluster. In solving the problem, the possibility of interbody collisions was taken into account, the collisions being assumed to be absolutely inelastic. Forces external to the body cluster under consideration were ignored. Among all the internal force factors acting within the cluster, only the gravitational interaction was taken into account. The total mass of all the gravitating bodies of the cluster was assumed to remain constant during the entire evolution. The Cauchy problem with natural initial conditions was considered. To check the process of solution, the so-called rotation curve was used which represents the current radial distribution of orbital velocities of the cluster bodies. The numerical analysis showed time variations of the model cluster rotation curve and, particularly, the fact that the rotation curve horizontal section is only a short moment in evolution of the gravitating bodies cluster. The results obtained within the scope of classical mechanics show that it is possible to represent all the rotation curve variations for the observed galaxies without appealing to the hypothesis of non-observable gravitating “dark matter”. Key words: galaxy rotation curve, n-body problem, evolution of gravitating masses, evolution number, “dark matter”.