Rigidity of Newtonian Centered Co-Circular Central Configurations
Version 1 / Oct 26, 2026 / CC BY 4.0
Abstract
We prove that a Newtonian central configuration of finitely many positive masses on a circle whose center is the center of mass must be a regular polygon with equal masses. The proof selects an extremal mass–gap pair and lifts the circle to a periodic configuration on the line. A positive integral representation of the circular kernel converts the force equations into sharp weighted quadrature bounds. A scalar convexity estimate forces equality at the selected pair, and the equality conditions determine every mass and gap. The argument applies to every finite number of bodies and includes all analytic and rational estimates needed for the conclusion.
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References
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Version history
- v1 · 14 pagesSubmitted by Chih-Yao WuInitial depositCurrentOct 24, 2026