Collision detection for N-body Kepler systems

Context. In a Keplerian system, a large number of bodies orbit a central mass. Accretion disks, protoplanetary disks, asteroid belts, and planetary rings are examples. Simulations of these systems require algorithms that are computationally efficient. The inclusion of collisions in the simulations is challenging but important. Aims. We intend...

Analytical framework for mutual approximations: Derivation and application to Jovian satellites

Context. The apparent close encounters of two satellites in the plane of the sky, called mutual approximations, have been suggested as a different type of astrometric observation to refine the moons' ephemerides. The main observables are then the central instants of the close encounters, which have the advantage of being free of any scaling...

Fourier series for eclipses on exoplanet binaries

Context. A double planet system or planet binary undergoes eclipses that modify the reflective light curve. In the time domain, the eclipse events are fast and weak. This would make their signal difficult to find and recognize in the phase light curve, even for small inclinations when eclipses happen frequently. However, due to the quasiperiodic...