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For a nearly radial Kepler orbit with pericentre $q$, specific angular momentum is $h\simeq \sqrt{2GMq}$. Relative to a circular reference orbit of radius $a_p$ and mean motion $n_p$, the instantaneous azimuthal rate changes from faster to slower at $r_x=\sqrt{h/n_p}\simeq a_p(2q/a_p{)}^{1/4}$. In a rotating reference frame the polar angle has a turning point at this radius. The true anomaly there differs from $\pi$ by approximately $2\sqrt{q/r_x}$.

Put $k=p+1$, $\mu =G{M}_{\star }$ and $n_{\mathrm{pl}}=\sqrt{\mu /a_{\mathrm{pl}}^3}$. To leading order the mean-motion resonance fixes $a=a_{\mathrm{pl}}{k}^{-2/3}$. The specific angular momentum isThe asteroid's instantaneous angular speed is $h/r^2$. Thus the high-eccentricity angular-speed crossover satisfies $h/r_x^2=n_{\mathrm{pl}}$, givingHere $q\ll r_x\ll a$, so a parabolic Kepler orbit gives the local motion accurately. Its polar equation is $r=2q/(1+\cos f)$. Write $f_x=\pi -{ϵ}_x$. Since $1+\cos f_x\simeq {ϵ}_x^2/2$,This is the outward crossing; the inward crossing has true anomaly $-f_x$ modulo $2\pi$.

For the pericentre-to-crossover flight time use $D=\tan (f/2)$. The parabolic Kepler orbit has $r=q(1+D^2)$ and $dt=r^{2}df/h$, whence direct integration gives the Barker equationAt the crossover $D_x\simeq \sqrt{r_x/q}\gg 1$. Consequently the planet's angular displacement isThe error tends to zero as $q/a_{\mathrm{pl}}\to 0$ at fixed $k$; it includes the finite binding energy of the elliptic Kepler orbit as well as the subleading term in the Barker equation.

At the $j$th pericentre passage the asteroid's unwrapped mean longitude is $\lambda =\varpi +2\pi j$. The resonant argument therefore givesThus $\varphi /k$ specifies the planet's direction relative to the asteroid's longitude of pericentre when the asteroid passes pericentre, with $k$ branches separated by $2\pi /k$. It is not the instantaneous true-longitude separation throughout the orbit. At high orbital eccentricity the asteroid quickly sweeps to a direction nearly opposite pericentre, while the planet scarcely moves. During the long outer excursion the asteroid's direction changes slowly and the planet advances substantially. This makes an astronomical conjunction during the outer excursion much more dangerous than an astronomical conjunction close to pericentre.

At the following apocentre, the planet has advanced $\pi /k$. The asteroid's direction in the rotating reference frame is consequentlyThese $k$ apocentre directions are equally spaced. Phase protection of interior integer resonances places the planet in the largest gap between them, rather than at an apocentre direction. For $k=2$, $\varphi =\pi$ puts an apocentre toward the planet, whereas $\varphi =0$ puts the apocentres at $\pm \pi /2$. For $k=3$, $\varphi =0$ puts an apocentre toward the planet, whereas $\varphi =\pi$ puts the apocentres at $\pi /3,\pi ,5\pi /3$. Hence the geometrically favored resonant-argument libration centres in this regime of high orbital eccentricity areThis is an encounter-avoidance argument for likely stability, not a calculation of a resonant Hamiltonian or a claim that every orbit near either centre is stable at arbitrary orbital eccentricity.

The following rotating-frame drawing uses $a_{\mathrm{pl}}=1$, $a=3^{-2/3}$, $q=0.002$ and $\varphi =\pi$. It follows three successive Kepler orbits, which fill one planet orbital period and close the pattern. The blue segment is just the first outward half-orbit. The marked crossover is a maximum of its rotating-frame polar angle, since $d\psi /dt=h/r^2-n_{\mathrm{pl}}$ changes from positive to negative there. The planet stays at $(1,0)$; the three apocentres avoid that direction.

To estimate angular-momentum kicks to nearly radial orbits, note that $q\simeq h^2/(2\mu )$, so an order-one fractional change in $q$ requires $|\Delta h|$ of order $h$. A characteristic distant encounter at radii of order $a_{\mathrm{pl}}$ has tangential acceleration of order $G{M}_{\mathrm{pl}}/a_{\mathrm{pl}}^2$ and duration of order $n_{\mathrm{pl}}^{-1}$. Its torque per unit asteroid mass therefore producesWith the most favorable coherent signs, the crude encounter count isOrder-one factors depend on $p$ and encounter geometry. Uncorrelated signs instead give a random walk count of order $(M_{\star }/M_{\mathrm{pl}}{)}^{2}q/a_{\mathrm{pl}}$ when this is large. A librating phase-protected orbit can suppress the kicks even further.

There is an important limit to calling this a minimum. The question does not specify an encounter impact parameter. For a weak close encounter with impact parameter $b$ and relative speed $u\sim \sqrt{G{M}_{\star }/a_{\mathrm{pl}}}$, the impulse estimate gives $|\delta h|\sim G{M}_{\mathrm{pl}}{a}_{\mathrm{pl}}/(bu)$ and hence $N\sim (M_{\star }/M_{\mathrm{pl}})(b/a_{\mathrm{pl}})\sqrt{q/a_{\mathrm{pl}}}$, capped below by one. In the 2:1 case the Kepler orbit can cross the planet's orbit, so one suitably close encounter can suffice: there is no impact-parameter-independent large lower bound. For $k\ge 3$, $Q\simeq 2a_{\mathrm{pl}}{k}^{-2/3}<a_{\mathrm{pl}}$ bounds the separation below by $a_{\mathrm{pl}}-Q$, and supplies a geometric factor at fixed $k$. The boxed count is the usual orbital-scale, maximally coherent estimate; the assumptions are essential.

Write the position in the rotating basis as $\mathbf{r}={\sum }_i{x}_i^{\prime }{\mathbf{e}}_i^{\prime }$. Differentiating with respect to time in the inertial frame,Here ${\mathbf{v}}^{\prime }={\sum }_i{\dot{x}}_i^{\prime }{\mathbf{e}}_i^{\prime }$ is the relative velocity measured in the rotating reference frame. ConsequentlyThis is the vector differentiation rule for a rotating reference frame with a common origin: the extra term accounts for the changing basis, not a translational motion of that origin.

Specific orbital energy, orbital eccentricity and the distribution. Let $\mu =G{M}_{\star }$, $v_K=\sqrt{\mu /a}$ and $c=\cos \theta$. Choose positive $\sin \theta$ to mean an outward radial kick. At release the tangential and radial velocities are $v_t=v_K(1+\gamma c)$ and $v_r=\gamma v_K\sin \theta$. The specific orbital energy and specific angular momentum areUsing ${\epsilon }^{\prime }=-\mu /(2a^{\prime })$ and $e^{\prime 2}=1+2{\epsilon }^{\prime }{h}^{\prime 2}/{\mu }^2$ therefore givesThe denominator must be positive for an elliptic Kepler orbit. A vanishing denominator describes a parabolic Kepler orbit; negative $a^{\prime }$ is the signed semi-major axis of a hyperbolic Kepler orbit.

Differentiating the squared orbital eccentricity givesIn the small-kick regime $0<\gamma <1$, $1+\gamma c>0$. Thus the minimum is at $c=-\gamma /3$, withThe entire expression, including the ${\gamma }^4/27$ term, lies under the square root in the PDF. This minimum is not a universal statement for arbitrary kick size. For example $\gamma =2$, $c=-1$ reverses the circular velocity and gives a retrograde circular orbit with $e^{\prime }=0$; the displayed stationary value is then not the global minimum.

For $0<\gamma <\sqrt{2}-1$, every kick direction gives a bound prograde Kepler orbit. The two endpoint maxima, one at each end of the accessible curve, areThe positive endpoint is the global maximum. There is one interior minimum, at the location just found. Uniform $\theta$ gives the kick-orbit distributionBoth signs of the radial kick occupy the same $e^{\prime }$–$a^{\prime }/a$ curve; they have opposite apsidal orientations. The distribution is concentrated near its endpoints, with integrable square-root singularities. For larger kicks retain the parametric curve and its bound portion $c<(1-{\gamma }^2)/(2\gamma )$; an unbound branch begins at $e^{\prime }=1$, $a^{\prime }/a\to \pm \infty$. In particular, a sketch of a wholly elliptic population presupposes the bound-kick restriction above.

The eccentricity vector at release has radial component $v_t^2/v_K^2-1$ and tangential component $-v_r{v}_t/v_K^2$. With the release radius chosen as zero longitude,This also directly verifies the squared orbital eccentricity above and fixes the sign convention for the longitude of periapsis.

The 1:1 encounter window. Exact equality of orbital periods requires $a^{\prime }=a$, hence $c_0=-\gamma /2$. There are two kick directions with this cosine when $0<\gamma <2$. To quantify a finite window one must specify a return time: near exact commensurability, consider the particle's first complete return to its release point. During that time the source advances through $2\pi (a^{\prime }/a{)}^{3/2}$. Its longitudinal miss distance is, to first order,Thus $d<\Delta$ gives the two-sided cosine windowIntegrating $f_c$ over that window gives, to leading order for a narrow window away from $\gamma =2$,The printed fraction is half this value. It is obtained by retaining only one side of the semi-major axis window, or only one of the two kick-angle branches. Neither restriction is in the question. Thus the printed coefficient cannot be shown for the stated uniform $0\le \theta <2\pi$ population and a symmetric first-return distance criterion. This already exhibits the discrepancy under the usual longitudinal approximation; minimizing the distance over the encounter interval introduces a further velocity-direction correction, not a missing branch. With arbitrarily long observation times, noncommensurate bound trajectories can also return arbitrarily close to the common release point, so an eventual-encounter fraction is a different, time-dependent question.

Rotating-frame sketches. In the rotating reference frame of the source put $x$ radially outward, $y$ along the source's motion and $s=nt$, where $n=v_K/a$. The linear Hill equations for a stellar Kepler orbit, with initial displacement zero, give the velocity-kick epicycleThese solve $\ddot{x}-2n\dot{y}-3n^{2}x=0$, $\ddot{y}+2n\dot{x}=0$ and reproduce the initial kick. For $\theta =0$, the particle starts forward, moves outward and drifts backward; the curve has a loop each orbital cycle, with net $\Delta y=-6\pi \gamma a$ per cycle. For $\theta =\pi$, both coordinates reverse: it moves inward and drifts forward by $6\pi \gamma a$. For $\theta =\pi /2$, the leading trajectory is a closed epicyclic ellipse,It starts at the top of the ellipse moving radially outward and returns to the source after one period to this order. Its exact semi-major axis differs from $a$ at order ${\gamma }^2$, so exact closure is not implied. The local sketches require $|x|,|y|\ll a$, in particular $\gamma s\ll 1$ for the drifting cases.

Use an Earth-centred rotating reference frame, with Earth's constant angular velocity vector $\mathbf{\omega }$. The vectors $\mathbf{r}$, $\mathbf{v}$, and $\mathbf{a}$ are the particle's position, velocity, and acceleration measured in that rotating frame. The vector $\mathbf{g}$ is the gravitational acceleration due to the actual gravitational force, expressed in the same axes; it excludes the separate centrifugal acceleration. The remaining term $-2\mathbf{\omega }\times \mathbf{v}$ is the Coriolis acceleration. A constant rotation axis and an unaccelerated Earth-centred origin account for the absence of an Euler term or a translational-origin term.

For the size estimates, Earth's angular speed isWith drop height $H=20\mathrm{m}$, unperturbed free fall gives the fall timeand final speed $gT=20{\mathrm{m}\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$. Thus the gravitational term has size $10{\mathrm{m}\mathrm{s}}^{-2}$, the Coriolis acceleration is at most about $2\omega gT\approx 2.8\times 10^{-3}{\mathrm{m}\mathrm{s}}^{-2}$, and the centrifugal acceleration is at most ${\omega }^2{R}_0\approx 2.9\times 10^{-2}{\mathrm{m}\mathrm{s}}^{-2}$. These are characteristic sizes $10^1$, $10^{-3}$, and $10^{-2}$ in acceleration units; geometric factors can reduce them, and the Coriolis term is zero at release.

For a suitable approximation to the rotational deflection of a falling body, take $\mathbf{g}$ constant over the short fall, start at rest relative to Earth, and use the zeroth-order velocity ${\mathbf{v}}^{(0)}(t)=\mathbf{g}t$ inside the small Coriolis term. In the centrifugal term replace $\mathbf{r}$ by ${\mathbf{R}}_0$, because $H/R_0\ll 1$. Integrating the resulting acceleration twice, with initial position ${\mathbf{r}}_{\mathrm{i}}$, givesSince ${\mathbf{r}}_{\mathrm{i}}+\mathbf{g}{T}^2/2={\mathbf{R}}_0$, evaluating at the unperturbed fall time yields the printed first-iterate estimate

The approximation keeps the leading Coriolis contribution and the leading centrifugal contribution enhanced by Earth's large radius. Feeding the Coriolis velocity correction back into the equation produces terms of size ${\omega }^{2}g{T}^4$, smaller than the retained centrifugal displacement by a factor of order $H/R_0$. Replacing $\mathbf{r}$ by ${\mathbf{R}}_0$ in that term has the same relative error. Here $\omega T\approx 1.4\times 10^{-4}$ and $H/R_0\approx 3.3\times 10^{-6}$, so both approximations are well controlled. Strictly, the displayed vector is the position at time $T$: its small upward component is removed by the slightly longer actual fall time. That arrival-time correction changes the retained horizontal displacements only at higher order. Thus the horizontal components of the printed estimate give the landing point on the locally flat surface; its vertical component should not be interpreted as a landing above the ground.

Let ${\hat{\mathbf{e}}}_E,{\hat{\mathbf{e}}}_N,{\hat{\mathbf{e}}}_U$ point east, north, and vertically upwards. They form a right-handed basis, with ${\hat{\mathbf{e}}}_N\times {\hat{\mathbf{e}}}_U={\hat{\mathbf{e}}}_E$. At latitude $\lambda$, in the spherical-Earth approximation,The required cross products areAt $\lambda =45^{\circ }$, the northerly and easterly displacements are thereforeThe negative northerly component means a southward displacement. With the supplied values, these are approximately $2.9\mathrm{cm}$ south and $1.3\mathrm{mm}$ east. The eastward effect comes from Coriolis acceleration, while the leading southward effect here comes from centrifugal acceleration.

The rotating-frame derivative formula is $(d\mathbf{A}/dt{)}_S=(d\mathbf{A}/dt{)}_{S^{\prime }}+\mathbf{\omega }\times \mathbf{A}$. Applying it twice to the position vector, with constant angular velocity, givesSolving for ${\mathbf{a}}_{S^{\prime }}$ identifies the displayed terms: its left side is the acceleration relative to the rotating reference frame, the first right-hand term is the inertial acceleration, $-2\mathbf{\omega }\times {\mathbf{v}}_{S^{\prime }}$ is the Coriolis acceleration, and $-\mathbf{\omega }\times (\mathbf{\omega }\times \mathbf{r})$ is the outward centrifugal acceleration.

For a particle of mass $m$, replace ${\mathbf{a}}_S$ by the actual force divided by $m$ using Newton's second law. The remaining terms then appear as apparent forces in $S^{\prime }$. There is no Euler acceleration because $\mathbf{\omega }$ is constant and no translational acceleration term because the common origin is fixed in the inertial frame.

Because the contact is frictionless, the horizontal normal force is ${\mathbf{F}}_h=N\mathbf{n}$, with $N$ a signed outward component. Any vertical contact component balances Newtonian gravity and does not enter the horizontal equations. With $\mathbf{\omega }=\omega \hat{\mathbf{z}}$, the rotating reference frame equation givesSince $\hat{\mathbf{z}}\times \mathbf{\tau }=-\mathbf{n}$, $\mathbf{r}\cdot \mathbf{n}=2a{\cos }^2\theta$, and $\mathbf{r}\cdot \mathbf{\tau }=-a\sin 2\theta$, its normal and tangential components areHence the requested horizontal force vector isIts magnitude is the absolute value of the scalar coefficient. That coefficient need not always be negative: the constraint can exert either sign of normal force, depending on the bead's relative velocity. The tangential equation, which does not contain the reaction, is $\boxed{\ddot{\theta }=-({\omega }^2/2)\sin 2\theta }$.

The original PDF measures $\theta$ at the rim point $O$, from the positive $x^{\prime }$-axis to $OP$; it is not the angle at the centre of the circle. The converted TeX omits this entire subpart. In rotating Cartesian coordinate system, the centre is $(a,0)$, and the nonzero intersection of the ray $\mathbf{r}=\rho (\cos \theta ,\sin \theta )$ with $(x^{\prime }-a{)}^2+y^{\prime 2}=a^2$ has $\rho =2a\cos \theta$. ThereforeThe second form stays regular even at the rim point $O$, where the polar radius is zero. Define the outward unit normal from the centre and the increasing-angle unit tangent vector byThe first two derivatives in the rotating reference frame are ${\mathbf{v}}^{\prime }=2a\dot{\theta }\mathbf{\tau }$ and ${\mathbf{a}}^{\prime }=2a\ddot{\theta }\mathbf{\tau }-4a{\dot{\theta }}^2\mathbf{n}$. These describe a bead on a horizontal hoop rotating about its rim.

In a rotating reference frame at angular frequency $\Omega$, the relevant energy difference is approximately $E_{\mathrm{kin}}-\Omega L_z$. The vortex-free state has zero circulation and zero corresponding angular momentum. For $a_0/R_r\ll 1$, the preceding shell estimates reduce toTherefore the thermodynamic vortex-nucleation frequency for the first positive quantum vortex isThe common factors $H_0,n_0$ cancel explicitly, although the trap radius and core scale still depend on number density. In the strict leading-logarithm limit, ${\Omega }_c\sim 2\hslash \log (R_r/a_0)/(m{R}_r^2)$. The finite constant $-1/2$ is the one obtained from the stated Thomas–Fermi shell integral; a resolved vortex core and readjustment of the number density at fixed particle number can change the nonlogarithmic constant. This is an energetic threshold, not a dynamical guarantee of nucleation: a surface barrier can delay entry. Higher positive winding numbers have flow energy proportional to $q^2$ and angular momentum proportional to $q$, so their analogous threshold is larger in this approximation.

For an unperturbed Kepler orbit, successive revolutions advance the planet-relative orientation by $-n_p{T}_c$ modulo $2\pi$, where $T_c$ is the comet's orbital period. An irrational period ratio makes these orientations dense; sufficiently distant mean-motion resonance and adequate observation time justify the corresponding phase mixing approximation.

At each radius between its pericentre distance and apocentre distance, the comet eventually visits every azimuth in the rotating reference frame. The spatial projection is thereforeIt is an annulus, with a nonuniform radial residence probability, rather than a uniformly filled area. Strictly, the full position-velocity phase space is not this annulus: at each radius the energy and angular momentum constrain the velocity, with inward and outward branches. The annulus is its position-space projection. This description assumes the orbital elements have not yet been substantially changed by planetary scattering.

Choose the common initial longitude of the particle and $G$ as zero. Let the fixed inertial longitude of periapsis be $\varpi$, positive ahead of that ray. At release $f_0=-\varpi$, but the mean anomaly isThereafter $M(t)=nt+M_0$, $f(t)=M(t)+2e\sin M(t)+O(e^2)$, and the particle's longitude is $\lambda (t)=\varpi +f(t)$. The reference ray has longitude ${\lambda }_G=n_{g}t$.

In the rotating reference frame, the radial $x$ axis points outward along the star-$G$ ray and the $y$ axis points forward. Define $\delta \lambda =\lambda -{\lambda }_G$. The exact positional relations are

The diagram shows a later instant; initially $\delta \lambda =0$, so $y(0)=0$. Retaining the $O(e)$ correction in $M_0$ is what will preserve that initial condition in the approximate trajectory.

To first order, the initial-phase correction in $M_0$ can be omitted inside a term already multiplied by $e$. ThusFor $|a-a_g|/a\ll 1$ and $|\delta \lambda |\ll 1$, expand the exact rotating reference frame coordinates. Products of the small radial and angular displacements are second order. This givesAt $t=0$ the two sine terms cancel, as required. Equal mean motion gives a closed local epicyclic motion with radial-to-tangential amplitude ratio $1:2$; unequal mean motion adds along-track drift. The local expansion also requires $|(n-n_g)t|\ll 1$, so small frequency mismatch alone does not justify it for arbitrarily large times.

Apply part (a) first to the position $\mathbf{r}$:Applying it again to both terms on the right giveswhere $(\dot{\mathbf{\omega }}{)}_S=(\dot{\mathbf{\omega }}{)}_{S^{\prime }}$ because $\mathbf{\omega }\times \mathbf{\omega }=0$. Substituting the first formula into the last term produces

In the Earth-fixed rotating reference frame, the sideways apparent force is the Coriolis acceleration multiplied by the ski-doo's mass:At the South Pole, $\mathbf{\omega }$ is vertical and antiparallel to the local outward normal, while $\mathbf{v}$ is horizontal, soThe force points to the left of the direction of travel, which is westward when the ski-doo is moving north after crossing the pole.

If $\mathbf{r}$ is measured in the rotating frame, its inertial velocity is $\dot{\mathbf{r}}+\mathbf{\omega }\times \mathbf{r}$. The masses producing the gravitational field are stationary in this frame, so their potential energy is a time-independent function $V(\mathbf{r})$. Thus kinetic minus potential energy gives the stated LagrangianPut $\mathbf{v}=\dot{\mathbf{r}}+\mathbf{\omega }\times \mathbf{r}$. ThenSubstitution in the Euler-Lagrange equation yieldsThe extra terms are the Coriolis acceleration, Euler acceleration, and centrifugal acceleration of a rotating reference frame.

The canonical momentum and Hamiltonian areAccordingly, Hamilton's equations are

At a Lagrange point, the test particle is stationary in the rotating reference frame, so $F=G=0$. On the $x$ axis, $y=0$ makes $G=0$ automatically. The singularities at the two masses split the axis into three intervals, and the balance between gravity and centrifugal acceleration gives one root of $F=0$ in each interval. These are the three Collinear Lagrange points $L_1,L_2,L_3$.

For an off-axis equilibrium, $y\ne 0$. Put $A_i=1-r_i^{-3}$. ThenwhileHence $A_1=A_2=0$ and therefore $r_1=r_2=1$. The two intersections of unit circles centered at $M_1$ and $M_2$ form equilateral triangles with the binary, giving the Triangular Lagrange pointsTogether with the three collinear points, these are the five equilibria of the circular restricted three-body problem.