The dynamical evolution of gravitationally interacting bodies, from the planetary systems to cosmological scales, is largely governed by nonlinear phenomena resulting from the inherently chaotic nature of the gravitational N-body problem for N>2. Historically, studies of the few-body problem (typically N~10), fundamental in celestial mechanics, have relied predominantly on perturbative methods. Conversely, for larger N typical of galactic dynamics, the theoretical frameworks of kinetic theory and statistical physics, approaches also prevalent in plasma physics, have been the primary tools.

Despite extensive efforts within these two most often separate communities, numerous fundamental questions remain unresolved. Key open questions include: 

• How does the intrinsic chaos of the gravitational N-body problem affect the long-term stability of astrophysical equilibrium configurations?

• Are chaotic phenomena in galaxy evolution driven primarily by discrete particle interactions and close encounters, or are perturbations in the collective gravitational potential more important?

• Do relativistic effects in multiple systems of compact objects act as stabilizing factors, or do they amplify their chaotic behavior?

This workshop aims at addressing these questions through a multi-disciplinary approach, bridging gaps between celestial mechanics, galactic dynamics, and statistical physics.

Organizers:

Alessandro Alberto Trani (Universidad de Concepción)

Pierfrancesco Di Cintio (CNR Firenze)

Mario Spera (SISSA)

This workshop is a Focus Week organized at the Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe (IFPU). As such, it is an invitation-only event, and no participation fee is required.

The institute is located next to the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), in the Miramare campus at Via Beirut 2, Trieste, Italy. For logistical details, please refer to the Getting Here page.