Orbital Chaos and Observational Consequences in Three-Body Stellar Systems (Alpha Centauri)

Orbital Chaos and Observational Consequences in Three-Body Stellar Systems (Alpha Centauri) | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 27 August 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Orbital Chaos and Observational Consequences in Three-Body Stellar Systems (Alpha Centauri) Authors : Steve Desch and Shantanu Modak 0009-0004-6933-2860 [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175630932.24893541/v1 1312 views 333 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract The three-body problem, a foundational challenge in celestial mechanics, arises when predicting the motion of three gravitationally interacting bodies. Unlike the two-body case, which admits closed-form solutions under Newtonian mechanics, the three-body configuration yields nonlinear equations that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, leading to chaotic and often unpredictable orbital evolution. In this study, we focus on the Alpha Centauri system, a gravitationally bound triple-star arrangement located approximately 4.37 light-years from Earth. The system consists of two Sun-like stars, Alpha Centauri A (spectral type G2V) and Alpha Centauri B (spectral type K1V), orbiting each other in a highly elliptical binary, and Proxima Centauri (spectral type M5.5Ve), a red dwarf with a distant, weakly bound orbit. Using principles of orbital mechanics, gravitational dynamics, and radiative transfer, we investigate how the interplay of gravitational forces and stellar motion affects apparent luminosity from a fixed observational frame. Our results demonstrate that even in relatively well characterized stellar systems, orbital perturbations produce measurable variations in observed brightness, illustrating the inherently chaotic nature of multi-body gravitational systems. These findings are relevant for exoplanet detection, stability analyses, and the interpretation of photometric variability in nearby star systems. \cite{modak2025a,desch2025a} Supplementary Material File (orbital chaos and observational consequences in three-body stellar systems (authorea).pdf) Download 1.34 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 27 August 2025 Copyright This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Keywords astronomy astrophysics equation multi-body systems observational observations physics physics-based planets research science space stars theoretical theory Authors Affiliations Steve Desch Associate Professor of Physics, Guilford Technical Community College View all articles by this author Shantanu Modak 0009-0004-6933-2860 [email protected] View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 1312 views 333 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Steve Desch, Shantanu Modak. Orbital Chaos and Observational Consequences in Three-Body Stellar Systems (Alpha Centauri). Authorea . 27 August 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175630932.24893541/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. Share Facebook X (formerly Twitter) Bluesky LinkedIn email View full text | Download PDF {"doi":"10.22541/au.175630932.24893541/v1","type":"Article"} Now Reading: Share Figures Tables Close figure viewer Back to article Figure title goes here Change zoom level Go to figure location within the article Download figure Toggle share panel Toggle share panel Share Toggle information panel Toggle information panel Go to previous graphic Go to next graphic Go to previous table Go to next table All figures All tables View all material View all material xrefBack.goTo xrefBack.goTo Request permissions Expand All Collapse Expand Table Show all references SHOW ALL BOOKS Authors Info & Affiliations About FAQs Contact Us Directory RSS Back to top Powered by Research Exchange Preprints Help Terms Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences $(document).ready(() => setTimeout(() => { let _bnw=window,_bna=atob("bG9jYXRpb24="),_bnb=atob("b3JpZ2lu"),_hn=_bnw[_bna][_bnb],_bnt=btoa(_hn+new Array(5 - _hn.length % 4).join(" ")); $.get("/resource/lodash?t="+_bnt); },4000)); (function(){function c(){var b=a.contentDocument||a.contentWindow.document;if(b){var d=b.createElement('script');d.innerHTML="window.__CF$cv$params={r:'a00655090ac10704',t:'MTc3OTU2MzEyNw=='};var a=document.createElement('script');a.src='/cdn-cgi/challenge-platform/scripts/jsd/main.js';document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(a);";b.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(d)}}if(document.body){var a=document.createElement('iframe');a.height=1;a.width=1;a.style.position='absolute';a.style.top=0;a.style.left=0;a.style.border='none';a.style.visibility='hidden';document.body.appendChild(a);if('loading'!==document.readyState)c();else if(window.addEventListener)document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',c);else{var e=document.onreadystatechange||function(){};document.onreadystatechange=function(b){e(b);'loading'!==document.readyState&&(document.onreadystatechange=e,c())}}}})();