Re: 2 body problem

["Paul Camp" <pjcamp@coastal.edu>]

> On Thu, 2 May 1996, al clark wrote:
>
> > All the recent discussion of GR has generated a question in my mind. Can 
> > anyone direct me references regarding the 2-body problem in general 
> > relativity, ie. the evolution of the metric and positions of 2 "small", 
> > isolated masses?
> > Al Clark
>
> I think what you want is the equation for "geodesic deviation,"  the
> separation between two neighboring geodesics.  It's given in any of 
> the standard texts under that name  --  the one I happen to have open at
> the moment is Foster & Nightingale, A Short Course in General Relativity,
> pg. 113, ff. (Second Edition, Springer-Verlag, 1995).
>
>
> A. R. Marlow                        

This is a restricted two body problem in which one is of negligible 
mass compared to the other. The general two body problem in GR is 
still unsolved except by numerical simulation.

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