The origin of chaos in the Solar System through computer algebra

Federico Mogavero (1) , Jacques Laskar (1)

1 IMCCE - Institut de Mécanique Céleste et de Calcul des Ephémérides

The discovery of the chaotic motion of the planets in the Solar System dates back more than 30 years. Still, no analytical theory has satisfactorily addressed the origin of chaos so far. Implementing canonical perturbation theory in the computer algebra system TRIP, we systematically retrieve the secular resonances at work along the orbital solution of a forced long-term dynamics of the inner planets. We compare the time statistic of their half-widths to the ensemble distribution of the maximum Lyapunov exponent and establish dynamical sources of chaos in an unbiased way. New resonances are predicted by the theory and checked against direct integrations of the Solar System. The image of an entangled dynamics of the inner planets emerges.

Keywords: celestial mechanics; planets and satellites: dynamical evolution and stability; chaos; Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics; Nonlinear Sciences - Chaotic Dynamics; Physics - Classical Physics; Physics - Computational Physics

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]

Federico Mogavero, Jacques Laskar. The origin of chaos in the Solar System through computer algebra. Astronomy and Astrophysics - A&A, 2022, 662, ⟨10.1051/0004-6361/202243327⟩. ⟨insu-03718978⟩