Bifurcation Mechanism of Quasi-Halo Orbit from Lissajous Orbit

Abstract: This paper presents a general analytical method to describe the center manifolds of collinear libration points in the Restricted Three-body Problem (RTBP). It is well-known that these center manifolds include Lissajous orbits, halo orbits, and quasihalo orbits. Previous studies have traditionally treated these orbits separately by iteratively constructing high-order series solutions using the Lindstedt-Poincar\'e method. Instead of relying on resonance between their frequencies, this study identifies that halo and quasihalo orbits arise due to intricate coupling interactions between in-plane and out-of-plane motions. To characterize this coupling effect, a novel concept, coupling coefficient $\eta$, is introduced in the RTBP, incorporating the coupling term $\eta \Delta x$ in the $z$-direction dynamics equation, where $\Delta$ represents a formal power series concerning the amplitudes. Subsequently, a uniform series solution for these orbits is constructed up to a specified order using the Lindstedt-Poincar\'e method. For any given paired in-plane and out-of-plane amplitudes, the coupling coefficient $\eta$ is determined by the bifurcation equation $\Delta = 0$. When $\eta$ = 0, the proposed solution describes Lissajous orbits around libration points. As $\eta$ transitions from zero to non-zero values, the solution describes quasihalo orbits, which bifurcate from Lissajous orbits. Particularly, halo orbits bifurcate from planar Lyapunov orbits if the out-of-plane amplitude is zero. The proposed method provides a unified framework for understanding these intricate orbital behaviors in the RTBP.