Math unites the celestial and the atomic.(NEWS WATCH)(Brief Article)

Scientific Computing, November, 2005

Scientists from Georgia Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology and the University of Southern California have uncovered an astonishing parallel between the mathematics of celestial mechanics and the math governing some aspects of atomic physics. For instance, celestial bodies move in paths according to their mutual gravitational attraction, creating tubular "highways" in the space between bodies.

On the atomic scale, "transition states," which were first employed in chemical dynamics, can act as barriers that need crossing in order for chemical reactions to occur. These barriers provide insights into the nature of chemical reactions, and into the shape of the "highways' in celestial systems.