In celestial mechanics, the Kozai mechanism, or the Lidov–Kozai mechanism, causes a periodic exchange between the inclination and eccentricity of an orbit. That is, libration (oscillation about a constant value) occurs in the argument of pericenter.
The effect was described in 1961 by the Soviet specialist in space dynamics Michael Lidov (Russian: Михаил Львович Лидов) while analysing the orbits of artificial and natural satellites of planets, and in 1962 by the Japanese astronomer Yoshihide Kozai while analyzing the orbits of the asteroids. Since then this effect has been found to be an important factor shaping the orbits of irregular satellites of the planets, trans-Neptunian objects, and a few extrasolar planets and multiple star systems.
Read more about Kozai Mechanism: Kozai Resonance, Consequences, References and Footnotes
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