Concave Kite Central Configurations in the Planar Four-Body Problem with Three Equal Masses

Abstract: We present a complete classification of concave kite central configurations in the planar 4-body problem with three equal masses. There are two different types of central configurations when the fourth mass lies inside or outside the triangle formed by the other three. Using a rigorous computer-assisted analytical method and a fixed coordinate system, we show that the central configurations in each case form a one-parameter family and obtain a complete classification of these configurations. In addition, we rigorously show the existence and types of the bifurcation points in the reduced space. We also provide two numerical global bifurcation pictures in the entire planar 4-body configuration space as the mass ratio varies from $0$ to $+\infty$, including symmetric and asymmetric concave central configurations with three equal masses.