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David Hammen
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$$ \ddot{\vec{r}}^{\, \star}_{j} = \sum_{k = 0 \\ k \neq j}^{N-1} \frac{Gm_{k} \left(\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k} - \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j} \right)}{|\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j} - \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k}|^{3}} - \sum_{k = 1}^{N-1} \frac{Gm_{k} \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k}}{|\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k}|^{3}} \, , j = 0, ..., N-1\tag{1} $$

That is correct. Note that $\ddot{\vec r}^{\,\star}_0$ is tautologically zero from equation (1), so we might as well exlude $j=0$ as a special case.

$$\iff \ddot{\vec{r}}^{\, \star}_{j} = - \frac{Gm_{0} \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j}}{|\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j}|^{3}} + \sum_{k = 1 \\ k \neq j}^{N-1} Gm_{k}\left[\frac{\left(\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k} - \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j} \right)}{|\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j} - \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k}|^{3}} - \frac{ \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k}}{|\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k}|^{3}} \right] \, , j = 0, ..., N-1 \tag{2} $$

That is not correct, for two reasons. You have included $j=0$ (your equation (2) results in $\frac00$ for $j=0$), and you have combined sums incorrectly.

Note that the second sum in equation (1) includes $k=j$ for non-zero $j$. Rewriting equation (1) as

$$ \ddot{\vec{r}}^{\, \star}_{j} = - \frac{Gm_{j} \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j}}{|\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j}|^{3}} + \sum_{k = 0 \\ k \neq j}^{N-1} \frac{Gm_{k} \left(\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k} - \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j} \right)}{|\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j} - \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k}|^{3}} - \sum_{k = 1 \\ k \neq j}^{N-1} \frac{Gm_{k} \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k}}{|\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k}|^{3}} \, , j = 1, ..., N-1 \tag{3} $$

Removing the $k=0$ element from the first sum in the above as a special element results in

$$ \ddot{\vec{r}}^{\, \star}_{j} = - \frac{G(m_{0}+m_j)\, \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j}}{|\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j}|^{3}} + \sum_{k = 1 \\ k \neq j}^{N-1} \frac{Gm_{k} \left(\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k} - \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j} \right)}{|\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j} - \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k}|^{3}} - \sum_{k = 1 \\ k \neq j}^{N-1} \frac{Gm_{k} \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k}}{|\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k}|^{3}} \, , j = 1, ..., N-1\tag{4} $$ Now the two sums can be combined, resulting in $$ \ddot{\vec{r}}^{\, \star}_{j} = - \frac{G(m_{0}+m_j)\, \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j}}{|\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j}|^{3}} + \sum_{k = 1 \\ k \neq j}^{N-1} Gm_{k} \left(\frac{\left(\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k} - \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j} \right)}{|\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{j} - \vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k}|^{3}} - \frac{\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k}}{|\vec{r}^{\, \star}_{k}|^{3}}\right) \, , j = 1, ..., N-1\tag{5} $$ This is equation (4.5) in Tremaine's Dynamics of Planetary Systems. Note that equation (5) excludes $j=0$.

David Hammen
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