Perturbation theory and canonical coordinates in celestial mechanics

Gabriella Pinzari

Published 2022-09-15Version 1

KAM theory owes most of its success to its initial motivation: the application to problems of celestial mechanics. The masterly application was offered by V.I.Arnold in the 60s who worked out a theorem, that he named the "Fundamental Theorem", especially designed for the planetary problem. This is the problem of 1+n point masses, one "sun" and n "planets", undergoing gravitational attraction. However, Arnold's Fundamental Theorem could be really used at that purpose only when, about 50 years later, the "right" canonical set was discovered. In these lectures I shall talk about the complex interplay between perturbation theories and canonical coordinates in problems of celestial mechanics.