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For a population with randomized vertical phases, orbital inclination $I$, and $R_p\ll a_{p}I$, the effective volume probability near the planetary plane is proportional to ${\Sigma }_c/(a_{p}I)$. The collision time then scales as $I{Q}^{3/2}{M}_p^{-2/3}{a}_p^2$, at fixed stellar mass and planetary mass density. An individual inclined Kepler orbit whose orbital nodes do not intersect the planet's orbit need not collide at all.

Put ${\mu }_{\star }=G{M}_{\star }$. Conservation of specific orbital energy and specific angular momentum givesThe last comet expression is the vis-viva equation at the planet's orbit. The planet has only tangential velocity, while the comet's tangential component is $v_t=h/a_p$. Consequently its prograde relative velocity is exactly, before planetary deflection,In the near-parabolic encounter limit $Q\gg a_p$, this reduces toThe displayed approximation also requires $Q\gg a_p$. The assumptions $Q\gg q$ and $q\ll a_p$ alone do not guarantee it: an orbit with $Q=a_p$ encounters the planet near apoapsis and has $v_{\mathrm{rel}}\simeq v_p$, not $\sqrt{3}{v}_p$.

If all coplanar near-parabolic planet-crossing comets are admitted, so that $0\le q\le a_p$, the tangential component ranges from $-\sqrt{2}{v}_p$ to $+\sqrt{2}{v}_p$ when retrograde orbits are included. ThusFor prograde orbits alone the upper limit is $\sqrt{3}{v}_p$; for the stated deep-crossing limit $q\ll a_p$, both prograde and retrograde encounters approach $\sqrt{3}{v}_p$. These are the speeds outside the planet's gravitational well. The surface impact speed is $v_{\mathrm{imp}}=\sqrt{v_{\mathrm{rel}}^2+v_{\mathrm{esc},\mathrm{p}}^2}$, where $v_{\mathrm{esc},\mathrm{p}}$ is the planetary escape velocity; under negligible gravitational focusing the two speeds agree.

With negligible comet radius and mass, the planet's radius and escape velocity areGravitational focusing changes the limiting collision impact parameter from $R_p$ to $R_p\sqrt{1+v_{\mathrm{esc},\mathrm{p}}^2/v_{\mathrm{rel}}^2}$. Thus it is negligible when $v_{\mathrm{esc},\mathrm{p}}^2\ll v_{\mathrm{rel}}^2$.

Put $s=q/a_p$ and $\gamma =\sqrt{3-2\sqrt{2s}}$ in the $Q\gg a_p$ prograde approximation. Substituting $v_{\mathrm{rel}}=\gamma \sqrt{G{M}_{\star }/a_p}$ givesEquivalently $2(M_p/M_{\star })(a_p/R_p)\ll {\gamma }^2$. For $q\ll a_p$, use ${\gamma }^2\simeq 3$. If negligible gravitational focusing is required for every coplanar near-parabolic orbit, including nearly tangential prograde encounters, use the smaller value ${\gamma }^2=(\sqrt{2}-1{)}^2$.

In a planetary gravitational assist, the incoming and outgoing relative speeds have the same magnitude. If $\mathbf{u}$ is the planet-frame velocity, the heliocentric specific orbital energy change is consequentlynot an arbitrary addition of $|\Delta \mathbf{u}|$ to the heliocentric speed. The initial binding energy per unit mass is $G{M}_{\star }/(Q+q)\simeq G{M}_{\star }/Q$.

For a weak deflection, $b\gg b_{90}=G{M}_p/v_{\infty }^2$, the hyperbolic scattering formula gives $|\Delta \mathbf{u}|\simeq 2G{M}_p/(b{v}_{\infty })$. Its direction is perpendicular to the incoming relative velocity. At the planet, in the near-parabolic prograde limit,On the favorable side of the planet the energy gain is approximately $2G{M}_p{v}_p\kappa /(b{v}_{\infty })$. Equating this to the binding energy gives the ejection impact parameterOnly one sign of impact parameter gains energy for each radial branch. Noncolliding ejections have $R_p<|b|<b_{\mathrm{ej}}$, giving width $(b_{\mathrm{ej}}-R_p{)}_{+}$, where $x_{+}=\max (x,0)$. For $b_{\mathrm{ej}}\gg R_p$, the planetary ejection of a comet rate is approximately ${\Gamma }_{\mathrm{ej}}={\Sigma }_c{v}_{\infty }{b}_{\mathrm{ej}}$. With ${\mu }_p=M_p/M_{\star }$ this givesThe scaling applies when $b_{90}\ll b_{\mathrm{ej}}\ll r_H$ so that the local two-body encounter and weak-deflection approximations are consistent. The favorable-side coefficient assumes a coplanar orbit; averaging over other encounter geometries changes it. Cumulative diffusion by many subthreshold encounters is not included in this one-encounter estimate.

Suppose the inclined population samples its arguments of periapsis and nodal orientations, or that sufficiently slow precession supplies this sampling. Near the planet the vertical amplitude is $H\simeq a_{p}I$. For uniformly distributed vertical phase, $z=H\sin \psi$ has probability density function $[\pi \sqrt{H^2-z^2}{]}^{-1}$, so the midplane volume probability is ${\Sigma }_c/(\pi H)$.

In the genuinely three-dimensional regime $R_p\ll H\ll a_p$, the geometric collision cross-section is $\pi R_p^2$. The relative velocity differs from the coplanar value only at order $I^2$ for the specified high-speed encounters. Therefore the inclined comet collision time isAt fixed ${\rho }_p,M_{\star },I$ the leading scaling is $Q^{3/2}{M}_p^{-2/3}{a}_p^2$, with no leading $q$ dependence when $q\ll a_p$. The displayed factor retains the first dependence on $q/a_p$. Also $t_{\mathrm{col},\mathrm{I}}/t_{\mathrm{col}}\simeq 2a_{p}I/R_p$ in this averaging convention.

Inclination alone does not specify a collision time for one fixed orbit. If its orbital nodes miss the planet's orbit, a tilted Kepler orbit can have no collisions at all. The finite result is an orientation-averaged population result, or requires precession or scattering to sample those orientations. When $a_{p}I\lesssim R_p$, the three-dimensional estimate crosses over to the coplanar result instead of tending to zero.

The planetary expansion is a decomposition into secular eigenmodes of conservative linear Laplace-Lagrange secular theory. It assumes small orbital eccentricities, coplanarity, approximately constant semi-major axis values, and averaging over fast orbital phases away from important mean-motion resonances and close encounters. Dissipation, migration, and nonlinear secular effects are absent from this constant-coefficient representation.

The $g_i$ are real eigenfrequencies of the Laplace-Lagrange secular matrix, describing apsidal precession. For mode $i$, the signed real coefficients $e_{ji}$ give its amplitude in planet $j$; their relative magnitudes are fixed by an eigenvector, and their signs distinguish aligned and anti-aligned apsides. The common phase ${\beta }_i$ specifies that mode's orientation at the chosen time origin. A planet's actual orbital eccentricity is $|z_j(t)|$, which generally varies through interference of modes; it is not a sum of the positive mode amplitudes.

For one isolated perturbing planet, its Kepler orbit has fixed longitude of periapsis, so $z_1$ is constant and its secular forcing frequency is zero. A constant forced eccentricity satisfies $0=iA{z}_f+i{A}_1{z}_1$. Since $A=-A_{1}f({\alpha }_1)$,This assumes $A\ne 0$. If an external process made the planet precess at frequency $g$, the particular solution would instead be $z_f=A_1{z}_1/(g-A)$; the stated formula relies on the isolated single-planet case.

Write $ϵ={\mu }^{1/3}$ and ${\delta }_j=(a_j-a_0)/a_0$. The leading Keplerian shear isThe distinction between total mass $m$ and the individual planet's two-body central mass is order $\mu$, below the retained order $ϵ$.

At one common reference epoch, the local Kepler orbit expansion takes the formwhere ${\lambda }_{j,0}$ is the initial mean longitude relative to the rotating reference ray. Comparing its sine and cosine coefficients with the free solution of Hill equations givesThe required orbital elements from Hill coordinates are thereforeThese equalities have the first-order accuracy of the local approximation. If $e_j=0$, the longitude of periapsis is undefined. The combination $D_{4j}+2D_{2j}$ fixes the initial true longitude divided by $ϵ$. The special initial alignment imposed in part v would require $D_{4j}=-2D_{2j}$, but the general two-planet solution need not impose it.

Substitution also verifies ${\ddot{\xi }}_j-2n_0{\dot{\eta }}_j-3n_0^2{\xi }_j=0$ and ${\ddot{\eta }}_j+2n_0{\dot{\xi }}_j=0$: these are the unforced Hill equations. Close encounters add mutual-gravity forcing and can change the constants. Replacing $n_j$ by $n_0$ in the oscillation is consistent at leading order over local orbital times; accumulated phase differences must be retained when following much longer evolution.