J. M. O. Antognini (2015)
Derives Kozai–Lidov oscillation timescales at quadrupole and octupole order for test-particle hierarchical triples.
The work provides explicit estimates for how long Kozai–Lidov cycles take in hierarchical triple systems, treating both the standard quadrupole approximation and the more complex octupole-level dynamics. It clarifies how the oscillation period scales with system parameters in the test-particle limit, where one body’s mass is negligible. These timescale formulas are useful for judging when octupole effects (e.g., stronger eccentricity excitation and orbit flips) can operate within astrophysically relevant lifetimes, guiding secular modeling choices and population studies.
Analytical secular dynamics using quadrupole- and octupole-order expansions of the Kozai–Lidov Hamiltonian in the test-particle limit.
Celestial mechanics of hierarchical triples, secular perturbation theory, and Kozai–Lidov resonance basics.