Formation of a binary in the general three-body problem

Abstract

This paper reviews the role of triple encounters in the evolution of stellar systems. If a symmetric triple collision is perturbed, a family of asymmetric triple close approaches with arbitrary escape velocities and with the formation of binaries, is obtained. A two-parameter family of orbits is obtained; for certain values of the parameters two of the bodies form a binary and the third escapes to infinity. The work of Szebehely (1970, 1971, 1973) is reviewed in detail for fixed values of the parameters with special reference to the application in stellar and galactic dynamics. The numerical technique and controls used are also mentioned without which no reliable numerical results can be obtained regarding the dynamical behavior of multicomponent stellar systems