2,131 research outputs found
Strong field limit analysis of gravitational retro-lensing
We present a complete treatment in the strong field limit of gravitational
retro-lensing by a static spherically symmetric compact object having a photon
sphere. The results are compared with those corresponding to ordinary lensing
in similar strong field situations. As examples of application of the
formalism, a supermassive black hole at the galactic center and a stellar mass
black hole in the galactic halo are studied as retro-lenses, in both cases
using the Schwarzschild and Reissner-Nordstrom geometries.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure; v2: minor changes. Accepted for publication in
Physical Review
Neutrino Oscillations in Caianiello's Quantum Geometry Model
Neutrino flavor oscillations are analyzed in the framework of Quantum
Geometry model proposed by Caianiello. In particular, we analyze the
consequences of the model for accelerated neutrino particles which experience
an effective Schwarzschild geometry modified by the existence of an upper limit
on the acceleration, which implies a violation of the equivalence principle. We
find a shift of quantum mechanical phase of neutrino oscillations, which
depends on the energy of neutrinos as E^3. Implications on atmospheric and
solar neutrinos are discussed.Comment: 11 page
Light's Bending Angle due to Black Holes: From the Photon Sphere to Infinity
The bending angle of light is a central quantity in the theory of
gravitational lensing. We develop an analytical perturbation framework for
calculating the bending angle of light rays lensed by a Schwarzschild black
hole. Using a perturbation parameter given in terms of the gravitational radius
of the black hole and the light ray's impact parameter, we determine an
invariant series for the strong-deflection bending angle that extends beyond
the standard logarithmic deflection term used in the literature. In the
process, we discovered an improvement to the standard logarithmic deflection
term. Our perturbation framework is also used to derive as a consistency check,
the recently found weak deflection bending angle series. We also reformulate
the latter series in terms of a more natural invariant perturbation parameter,
one that smoothly transitions between the weak and strong deflection series. We
then compare our invariant strong deflection bending-angle series with the
numerically integrated exact formal bending angle expression, and find less
than 1% discrepancy for light rays as far out as twice the critical impact
parameter. The paper concludes by showing that the strong and weak deflection
bending angle series together provide an approximation that is within 1% of the
exact bending angle value for light rays traversing anywhere between the photon
sphere and infinity.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure
Quasi-Equatorial Gravitational Lensing by Spinning Black Holes in the Strong Field Limit
Spherically symmetric black holes produce, by strong field lensing, two
infinite series of relativistic images, formed by light rays winding around the
black hole at distances comparable to the gravitational radius. In this paper,
we address the relevance of the black hole spin for the strong field lensing
phenomenology, focusing on trajectories close to the equatorial plane for
simplicity. In this approximation, we derive a two-dimensional lens equation
and formulae for the position and the magnification of the relativistic images
in the strong field limit. The most outstanding effect is the generation of a
non trivial caustic structure. Caustics drift away from the optical axis and
acquire finite extension. For a high enough black hole spin, depending on the
source extension, we can practically observe only one image rather than two
infinite series of relativistic images. In this regime, additional non
equatorial images may play an important role in the phenomenology.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures. Improved version with detailed physical
discussio
The weakly perturbed Schwarzschild lens in the strong deflection limit
We investigate the strong deflection limit of gravitational lensing by a
Schwarzschild black hole embedded in an external gravitational field. The study
of this model, analogous to the Chang & Refsdal lens in the weak deflection
limit, is important to evaluate the gravitational perturbations on the
relativistic images that appear in proximity of supermassive black holes hosted
in galactic centers. By a simple dimensional argument, we prove that the tidal
effect on the light ray propagation mainly occurs in the weak field region far
away from the black hole and that the external perturbation can be treated as a
weak field quadrupole term. We provide a description of relativistic critical
curves and caustics and discuss the inversion of the lens mapping. Relativistic
caustics are shifted and acquire a finite diamond shape. Sources inside the
caustics produce four sequences of relativistic images. On the other hand,
retro-lensing caustics are only shifted while remaining point-like to the
lowest order.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure
Strong Gravitational Lensing by Sgr A*
In recent years, there has been increasing recognition of the potential of
the galactic center as a probe of general relativity in the strong field. There
is almost certainly a black hole at Sgr A* in the galactic center, and this
would allow us the opportunity to probe dynamics near the exterior of the black
hole. In the last decade, there has been research into extreme gravitational
lensing in the galactic center. Unlike in most applications of gravitational
lensing, where the bending angle is of the order of several arc seconds, very
large bending angles are possible for light that closely approaches a black
hole. Photons may even loop multiple times around a black hole before reaching
the observer. There have been many proposals to use light's close approach to
the black hole as a probe of the black hole metric. Of particular interest is
the property of light lensed by the S stars orbiting in the galactic center.
This paper will review some of the attempts made to study extreme lensing as
well as extend the analysis of lensing by S stars. In particular, we are
interested in the effect of a Reissner-Nordstrom like 1/r^2 term in the metric
and how this would affect the properties of relativistic images.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures. Submitted as invited review article for the GR19
issue of CQ
A comparison of approximate gravitational lens equations and a proposal for an improved new one
Keeping the exact general relativistic treatment of light bending as a
reference, we compare the accuracy of commonly used approximate lens equations.
We conclude that the best approximate lens equation is the Ohanian lens
equation, for which we present a new expression in terms of distances between
observer, lens and source planes. We also examine a realistic gravitational
lensing case, showing that the precision of the Ohanian lens equation might be
required for a reliable treatment of gravitational lensing and a correct
extraction of the full information about gravitational physics.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, to appear on Physical Review
Gravitational lensing in the strong field limit
We provide an analytic method to discriminate among different types of black
holes on the ground of their strong field gravitational lensing properties. We
expand the deflection angle of the photon in the neighbourhood of complete
capture, defining a strong field limit, in opposition to the standard weak
field limit. This expansion is worked out for a completely generic spherically
symmetric spacetime, without any reference to the field equations and just
assuming that the light ray follows the geodesics equation. We prove that the
deflection angle always diverges logarithmically when the minimum impact
parameter is reached. We apply this general formalism to Schwarzschild,
Reissner-Nordstrom and Janis-Newman-Winicour black holes. We then compare the
coefficients characterizing these metrics and find that different collapsed
objects are characterized by different strong field limits. The strong field
limit coefficients are directly connected to the observables, such as the
position and the magnification of the relativistic images. As a concrete
example, we consider the black hole at the centre of our galaxy and estimate
the optical resolution needed to investigate its strong field behaviour through
its relativistic images.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, in press on Physical Review
Prediction in forensic science: a critical examination of common understandings
In this commentary, we argue that the term 'prediction' is overly used when in fact, referring to foundational writings of de Finetti, the correspondent term should be inference. In particular, we intend (i) to summarize and clarify relevant subject matter on prediction from established statistical theory, and (ii) point out the logic of this understanding with respect practical uses of the term prediction. Written from an interdisciplinary perspective, associating statistics and forensic science as an example, this discussion also connects to related fields such as medical diagnosis and other areas of application where reasoning based on scientific results is practiced in societal relevant contexts. This includes forensic psychology that uses prediction as part of its vocabulary when dealing with matters that arise in the course of legal proceedings
La naturaleza decisoria de las conclusiones de los expertos en ciencia forense (The decisionalization of individualization)
En la ciencia forense y ramas de la ciencia adyacentes, tanto investigadores del ámbito académico como quienes las practican continúan divergiendo en la percepción y comprensión del término “individualización”, es decir, la defensa de la tesis de que es posible reducir un conjunto de potenciales donantes de un vestigio forense a una única fuente. En concreto, se ha puesto de manifiesto que recientes cambios que entienden la práctica de la individualización como una decisión no son más que un mero cambio de etiqueta [1], dejando los cambios fundamentales en el orden del pensar y del entender aún pendientes. Es más, asociaciones profesionales y expertos huyen de adherirse a la noción de decisión tal y como la define la teoría formal de la decisión en la que la individualización puede contextualizarse, principalmente por las dificultades para tratar sobre las medidas de deseabilidad o no de las consecuencias de las decisiones (por ejemplo, utilizando las funciones de utilidad). Apoyándose en investigaciones existentes en esta área, este artículo presenta y discute sobre conceptos fundamentales de utilidades y costes, con particular referencia a su aplicación a la individualización forense. El artículo subraya que una adecuada comprensión de las herramientas de la decisión no solo reduce el número de asignaciones individuales que la aplicación de la teoría de la decisión requiere, sino que también muestra cómo esas asignaciones pueden relacionarse significativamente con las propiedades constituyentes del problema de la decisión en el mundo real al que se aplica la teoría. Se argumenta que la “decisionalización” de la individualización requiere esa percepción fundamental para iniciar cambios en las comprensiones subyacentes de esos campos, no meramente en el ámbito de sus etiquetas
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