A Method for the Construction of a Restricted Motion in an Arbitrary Central Field

Abstract

The well-known problem of motion in a central field integrable in quadratures is considered. The force function of the problem depends only on the particle distance to the chosen coordinate origin. In the general case of an arbitrary central force, a rigorous analytical solution of the problem cannot be obtained due to the complexity of the integrals. In this paper we propose a semi-analytical method of constructing an approximate solution for the case where the distance varies in a limited range that allows the time dependences of the polar coordinates to be obtained using elliptic functions and integrals. As an example, we consider the model problems of the perturbed motion of hypothetical Jovian and lunar equatorial satellites as well as the problem of the motion of a single star in the principal plane of a galaxy. The methodical accuracy has been estimated by a comparison with the numerical solution.