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| Murray & Dermott | |
|---|---|
| Name | Solar System Dynamics |
| Author | Douglas S. Murray; Stanley F. Dermott |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Celestial mechanics |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Pub date | 1999 |
| Pages | 562 |
| Isbn | 0521575975 |
Murray & Dermott is a widely cited textbook on celestial mechanics and dynamical astronomy that provides rigorous treatment of the N-body problem, planetary perturbations, and resonant phenomena. The work synthesizes analytic techniques and observational constraints relevant to researchers working on Solar System dynamics, planetary rings, and satellite orbital theory. It has become a standard reference in courses and research at institutions such as Caltech, Harvard University, and the University of Cambridge.
The book presents foundational methods in perturbation theory, including Hamiltonian mechanics, canonical transformations, and the theory of secular perturbation. It develops applications to the Kirkwood gaps, mean-motion resonance, and the stability of the asteroid belt, while treating dissipative processes relevant to Saturn's rings and the dynamics of Jupiter's satellites. Readers encounter derivations connected to classical results from Isaac Newton, Pierre-Simon Laplace, Joseph-Louis Lagrange, and Simon Newcomb, alongside modern extensions used by teams at NASA, European Space Agency, and observatories such as Palomar Observatory.
Douglas S. Murray trained in theoretical astronomy and has affiliations with research centers including Queen Mary University of London and observatories linked to the Royal Astronomical Society. Stanley F. Dermott is noted for work on planetary ring dynamics and resonant interactions, with ties to departments at University of Florida and collaborations with scientists from Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds. The authors draw on traditions from scholars like George H. Darwin, Hannes Alfvén, and Victor Safronov, and their pedagogy reflects influences from texts by Bertil Gustafsson, Hugh Jeffreys, and Andrew M. Liddle.
Chapters are organized to move from basics to advanced topics: kinematics of two-body motion referencing Johannes Kepler; perturbative expansions invoking Pierre-Simon Laplace and Lagrange secular theory; canonical perturbation schemes related to Henrik Lorentz-era techniques; and modern resonant dynamics building on work by Carl Sagan-era researchers. The formalism integrates Hamiltonian approaches, action-angle variables used in Kolmogorov–Arnold–Moser theorem contexts, and methods for computing Lyapunov exponents as employed in studies at Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research. Appendices collect mathematical tools familiar from courses at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, and University of Oxford.
The text has been cited in studies on Kuiper belt structure, formation models involving planetesimals, and investigations into orbital migration driven by planet-disk interaction. Researchers at Space Telescope Science Institute and in consortia studying exoplanet dynamics have used its formalisms to interpret resonant chains discovered by missions like Kepler and TESS. It influenced numerical work at Los Alamos National Laboratory and analytic treatments in publications from Nature and The Astrophysical Journal, and informed courses at California Institute of Technology and University of Cambridge.
First published by Cambridge University Press in 1999 under the title Solar System Dynamics, the work has seen reprints and expanded citations across monographs and lecture notes distributed by institutions such as International Astronomical Union symposia and summer schools at Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris. Translations and derivative lecture compilations have appeared in languages used in research hubs including Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency-linked centers, Max Planck Society-associated groups, and Russian institutes formerly under the Soviet Academy of Sciences. Later editions and errata have been incorporated into course syllabi at University of Arizona, University of California, Berkeley, and Imperial College London.
Category:Books on astronomy Category:Celestial mechanics