Wisdom pioneered the study of chaos in the solar system. His 1981
dissertation demonstrated for the first time the theoretical reason for the clearing of the
Kirkwood gaps in the asteroid belt.[3][4][5] His work has also brought to light the
chaotic rotation of
Hyperion,[6]chaos in the orbital evolution of
Pluto,[7] and the chaotic obliquity of
Mars[8] which has important implications for the past Martian climate.
Work with colleague
Gerald Sussman using a specially-built computer demonstrated that the solar system as a whole is chaotic on a timescale of about four million years,[9] confirming results from Jacques Laskar.[10] This work was responsible for "shattering the long-held view of the clockwork motion of the planets."[5]
More recently, Wisdom's work has shed light on the complex evolution of the
Moon[11][12] and the tidal heating and dynamics of Enceladus.[13][14]
In addition, Wisdom is credited with developing "numerous analytical and numerical techniques" that are fundamental to modern
celestial mechanics,[5] most notably the
symplectic map for the
n-body problem (developed together with
Matthew J. Holman),[15] which "now forms the core of nearly every solar system dynamics integration scheme in use today."[5]
Jack Wisdom is co-author of Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics. His 2003 paper in Science[16] on a new
geometric phase effect which Wisdom calls "spacetime swimming" has attracted considerable attention, although it is not yet clear whether this effect has practical utility or even can be used to devise new tests of relativistic gravitation theories.
^Andersen, P. H. (1988), "Jack Wisdom received the 1987 Warner Prize of the American Astronomical Society.", Physics Today, 41 (11): 99–104,
Bibcode:
1988PhT....41k.102A,
doi:
10.1063/1.2811630