On Nested Central Configurations of the 3n Body Problem

Abstract

In this work, we consider the existence of (3, n)-crowns in the classical Newtonian 3n-body problem, which are central configurations formed by three groups of n bodies with the same mass within each group, located at the vertices of three concentric regular polygons. We consider the case with dihedral symmetry, called nested (3, n)-crowns, where the vertices of the polygons are aligned. We characterize the set of admissible radii for the polygons for which nested (3, n)-crowns exist. We conclude with numerical evidences that suggest uniqueness for each set of three masses