Chaos in the relativistic Euler problem

The Euler problem with two fixed point masses and one moving mass is reconsidered in the light of general relativity. The scattering of a particle by two fixed black holes is shown to be strongly chaotic. Two neutral black holes have been used for the study. The particle trajectories have been computed numerically using a modified muffin tin approximation. A plot of the scattering angle against impact parameter showing distinct signs of chaos is presented. (c) 1996 American Institute of Physics.