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Recent works on three-planet mean motion resonances (MMRs) have highlighted their importance for understanding the details of the dynamics of planet formation and evolution. While the dynamics of two-planet MMRs are well understood and approximately described by a one-degree-of-freedom Hamiltonian, little is known of the exact dynamics of three-body resonances besides the cases of zeroth-order MMRs or when one of the bodies is a test particle. In this work, I propose the first general integrable model for first-order three-planet mean motion resonances. I show that one can generalize the strategy proposed in the two-planet case to obtain a one-degree-of-freedom Hamiltonian. The dynamics of these resonances are governed by the second fundamental model of resonance. The model is valid for any mass ratio between the planets and for every first-order resonance. I show the agreement of the analytical model with numerical simulations. As examples of application, I show how this model could improve our understanding of the capture into MMRs as well as their role in the stability of planetary systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a two-planet system, a topological boundary that is created by Sundman (1912, Acta Math., 36, 105) inequality can forbid close encounters between the two planets for an infinite time. A system is said to be Hill stable if it verifies this topological condition. Hill stability is widely used in the study of extrasolar planet dynamics. However, the coplanar and circular orbit approximation is often used. In this paper, we explain how the Hill stability can be understood in the framework of angular momentum deficit (AMD). In the secular approximation, AMD allows us to discriminate between a priori stable systems and systems for which a more in-depth dynamical analysis is required. We show that the general Hill stability criterion can be expressed as a function of only semimajor axes, masses, and total AMD of the system. The proposed criterion is only expanded in the planets-to-star mass ratio ε and not in the semimajor axis ratio, eccentricities, nor the mutual inclination. Moreover, the expansion in ε remains excellent up to values of about 10−3 even for two planets with very different mass values. We performed numerical simulations in order to highlight the sharp change of behavior between Hill stable and Hill unstable systems. We show that Hill stable systems tend to be very regular, whereas Hill unstable systems often lead to rapid planet collisions. We also note that Hill stability does not provide protection from the ejection of the outer planet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]