Book 29

The Kepler Problem

by Bruno Cordani

Published 11 December 2002
Because of the correspondences existing among all levels of reality, truths pertaining to a lower level can be considered as symbols of truths at a higher level and can therefore be the "foundation" or support leading by analogy to a knowledge of the latter. This confers to every science a superior or "elevating" meaning, far deeper than its own original one. - R. GUENON, The Crisis of Modern World Having been interested in the Kepler Problem for a long time, I have al ways found it astonishing that no book has been written yet that would address all aspects of the problem. Besides hundreds of articles, at least three books (to my knowledge) have indeed been published al ready on the subject, namely Englefield (1972), Stiefel & Scheifele (1971) and Guillemin & Sternberg (1990). Each of these three books deals only with one or another aspect of the problem, though. For example, En glefield (1972) treats only the quantum aspects, and that in a local way. Similarly, Stiefel & Scheifele (1971) only considers the linearization of the equations of motion with application to the perturbations of celes tial mechanics. Finally, Guillemin & Sternberg (1990) is devoted to the group theoretical and geometrical structure.

Book 64

This original monograph aims to explore the dynamics in the particular but very important and significant case of quasi-integrable Hamiltonian systems, or integrable systems slightly perturbed by other forces. With both analytic and numerical methods, the book studies several of these systems-including for example the hydrogen atom or the solar system, with the associated Arnold web-through modern tools such as the frequency modified fourier transform, wavelets, and the frequency modulation indicator. Meanwhile, it draws heavily on the more standard KAM and Nekhoroshev theorems.

Geography of Order and Chaos in Mechanics will be a valuable resource for professional researchers and certain advanced undergraduate students in mathematics and physics, but mostly will be an exceptional reference for Ph.D. students with an interest in perturbation theory.