Topological classifications and bifurcations of periodic orbits in the potential field of highly irregular-shaped celestial bodies

Abstract

This paper studies the distribution of characteristic multipliers, the structure of submanifolds, the phase diagram, bifurcations and chaotic motions in the potential field of rotating highly irregular-shaped celestial bodies (hereafter called irregular bodies). The topological structure of the submanifolds for the orbits in the potential field of an irregular body is shown to be classified into 34 different cases, including 6 ordinary cases, 3 collisional cases, 3 degenerate real saddle cases, 7 periodic cases, 7 period-doubling cases, 1 periodic and collisional case, 1 periodic and degenerate real saddle case, 1 period-doubling and collisional case, 1 period-doubling and degenerate real saddle case, and 4 periodic and period-doubling cases. The different distribution of the characteristic multipliers has been shown to fix the structure of the submanifolds, the type of orbits, the dynamical behaviour and the phase diagram of the motion. Classifications and properties for each case are presented. Moreover, tangent bifurcations, period-doubling bifurcations, Neimark-Sacker bifurcations and the real saddle bifurcations of periodic orbits in the potential field of an irregular body are discovered. Submanifolds appear to be Mobius strips and Klein bottles when the period-doubling bifurcation occurs.