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Use $\mu =\gamma m$ for the gravitational parameter, to distinguish it from the Delaunay action called $G$. The displayed actions are per unit reduced mass. Accordingly use specific canonical momenta; with physical relative momenta, all three actions acquire a common reduced-mass factor, which leaves the eccentricity fraction below unchanged.

The canonical transformation. In spherical coordinates, separation of the Kepler Hamilton-Jacobi equation givesA local type-two generating function, continued across turning points with the appropriate momentum branches, isThe old momenta are $\partial W/\partial (r,\theta ,\varphi )$ and the new angles are $l={\partial }_{L}W$, $g={\partial }_{G}W$, $h={\partial }_{H}W$. This defines a canonical transformation, since its generating differential is $dW=p_{r}dr+p_{\theta }d\theta +p_{\varphi }d\varphi +ldL+gdG+hdH$. With standard choices of angle origins, the resulting Delaunay variables arewith $l$ the mean anomaly, $g$ the argument of periapsis, and $h$ the longitude of ascending node. In particular, the signed $H$ includes retrograde orbits; the squared equation in the PDF must not be read as $H\ge 0$.

For bound noncollision Kepler orbits, the independent ranges areThe limiting circular, radial and coplanar cases sit on boundaries where some angle charts degenerate. They have zero measure in the generic phase-volume calculation. The ranges are constrained as above, rather than a Cartesian box with three unconstrained actions.

The eccentricity count. A canonical transformation preserves phase space volume, soIntegrating the three angles contributes $(2\pi {)}^3$, and integrating $H$ gives $2G$. At fixed $L$, the condition that the orbital eccentricity be less than $e_0$ is $G>L\sqrt{1-e_0^2}$. ThusAny energy weight cancels between these integrals. If the total population is finite, or an explicit finite action band is used,This is the Delaunay phase-volume proof of the thermal eccentricity distribution. The source's $e^2$ law is a cumulative count, not a differential eccentricity density. Also, pointwise finite $F(E)$ does not alone imply finite $N_{\mathrm{tot}}$: $F=1$ gives ${\int }_0^{\infty }{L}^{2}dL=\infty$. The finite normalization of an energy-only Kepler distribution is the additional condition needed for a global probability statement; the fraction at every fixed energy is unaffected.

Why the observation does not imply relaxation or equilibrium. No Boltzmann distribution was used: every normalizable energy-only phase-space distribution function has the same eccentricity marginal, irrespective of collisional thermalization. An even stronger counterexample is a genuinely time-dependent collisionless distributionKepler motion has $\dot{l}=\nu (L)$ and constant actions and other angles, so ${\partial }_{t}f+\nu {\partial }_{l}f=0$: this is an exact nonstationary solution of the Collisionless Boltzmann equation. Integrating $l$ removes the cosine and leaves precisely the same $e^2$ cumulative count at every time. An eccentricity marginal alone cannot establish thermal relaxation, a relaxed age, or even a stationary distribution.

Write ${\mu }_g=\gamma m$ for the gravitational parameter of the relative Kepler orbit, and use specific orbital energy and momenta per unit reduced mass. The Hamiltonian isIf physical momenta rather than these specific momenta are used, multiply the actions by the reduced mass. This only introduces a constant factor into the phase space measure and leaves the eccentricity fractions unchanged. The formulas in the question adopt the specific-action convention.

Here is an explicit local canonical transformation. A separated complete integral of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation isChoose branches along an orbit and take $p_j=\partial S/\partial q_j$, $l=\partial S/\partial L$, $g=\partial S/\partial G$, $h=\partial S/\partial H$. Thenwhose exterior derivative proves preservation of the canonical symplectic form. Thus these variables are canonical, and the absolute Jacobian determinant is one. The angular separation gives $G=|\mathbf{r}\times \mathbf{v}|$ and $H=G\cos i$, including the sign of the angular momentum along the reference axis.

For clarity, the radial action can be evaluated rather than assumed. Let $r=a(1-e\cos u)$, with $u$ the eccentric anomaly. Then $p_r=\sqrt{{\mu }_g/a}e\sin u/(1-e\cos u)$, andIn the integral, use $e^2{\sin }^{2}u/(1-e\cos u)=1+e\cos u-(1-e^2)/(1-e\cos u)$ and ${\int }_0^{2\pi }(1-e\cos u{)}^{-1}du=2\pi /\sqrt{1-e^2}$. The polar action is $J_{\theta }=G-|H|$, while the signed azimuthal action is $J_{\varphi }=H$. The separated angular coordinates have the usual Delaunay variables interpretation: $g$ is the argument of periapsis, and $h$ is the longitude of ascending node. In particular,with a suitable origin at periapsis, so $l$ is the mean anomaly. We have therefore recoverednot merely assigned names to the new coordinates.

For nondegenerate bound Kepler orbits, the ranges areThe boundaries describe circular, coplanar or radial degeneracies, where some angles cease to be defined; they have zero measure in the present calculation. The actions are canonical coordinates with nested bounds, rather than three independently unrestricted Cartesian coordinates. The square of $H$ alone would miss the distinction between prograde and retrograde inclinations.

By the canonical transformation, the population measure becomesAt fixed $L$, the condition $e^{\prime }<e$ is $L\sqrt{1-e^2}<G<L$. Integrating all three angles and then $H$ givesConsequently the Delaunay phase-volume proof of the thermal eccentricity distribution yieldsThe PDF's $e^2$ dependence must be interpreted as a cumulative distribution function, not an eccentricity probability density function or the value of the original six-dimensional phase-space distribution function. A finite value of $F(E)$ at every energy also does not suffice to make the total population finite: $F=1$ on all bound energies gives the divergent integral ${\int }_0^{\infty }{L}^{2}dL$. The fractions are well defined at each fixed energy, over a finite allowed energy range, or for an energy distribution with a finite total integral.

A Boltzmann distribution is therefore unnecessary. Any normalizable energy-only distribution has the same eccentricity marginal, although such a distribution is a collisionless steady state by Jeans theorem. The marginal alone does not even prove stationarity: for $0<|\eta |<1$,is a positive time-dependent solution of the Collisionless Boltzmann equation and has exactly the same eccentricity marginal after integration over $l$. An observed $e^2$ cumulative law establishes neither thermal relaxation nor the age of the system or Universe.