Variational Methods in Celestial Mechanics

The focus of this workshop, sponsored by AIM and the NSF, is variational methods in celestial mechanics, more precisely minimization of the action in the presence of symmetries. Using the direct method a number of new orbits have been established over the last three years. In the workshop we will aim to summarize the state of knowledge to date and pose problems within the N-body problem which may be accessible to variational methods.

The main questions to be addressed concern

• existence of orbits,
• stability and escape from orbits, and
• mass constraints.

The workshop will differ from typical conferences in some regards. Participants will be invited to suggest open problems and questions before the workshop begins, and these will be posted on the workshop website. These will be specific problems on which there is hope of making some progress during the workshop, as well as more ambitious problems which may influence the future activity of the field. Lectures at the workshop will be focused on familiarizing the participants with the background material leading up to specific problems, and there will be ample time between talks for discussions and for work to be done.

Participants include M. Alvarez, M. Arnaud, V. Barutello, M. Celli, K. Chen, A. Chenciner, V. Coti Zelati, J. Fejoz, D. Ferrario, L. Florit, T. Fujiwara, J. Gerver, C. Golé, M. Hampton, W. Hsiang, V. Kaloshin, T. Kapela, A. Knauf, E. Lacomba, M. Levi, C. Marchal, J. Mather, K. Meyer, R. Moeckel, R. Montgomery, D. Offin, E. Perez-Chavela, E. Pujals, G. Roberts, N. Shcherbakova, E. Straume, S. Terracini, A. Venturelli, and P. Zgliczynski.

The application deadline to participate in this workshop has passed.

Go to the American Institute of Mathematics.
Return to the AIM Research Conference Center.