English

Analytical approach for calculating shadow of dynamical black hole

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology 2026-02-10 v2

Abstract

We develop a compact and transparent framework for photon dynamics and shadow formation in slowly evolving, spherically symmetric spacetimes. Starting from the Eddington-Finkelstein action, we derive a force-decomposed radial equation in which the radial acceleration splits into an induced term sourced by mass variation, a centrifugal term, and a purely general-relativistic correction. A key result is a gauge-invariant energy-flux relation, d(E2)/dv=Λ/rd(E^2)/dv=-\Lambda/r, with ΛεM˙v˙2\Lambda\equiv \varepsilon\,\dot M\,\dot v^2, which controls how time dependence modifies the canonical energy of null geodesics. In the adiabatic regime we obtain an explicit first-order shift of the photon-sphere radius, rph(v)=r0ai/(ag+ac)r_{ph}(v)=r_0-a_i/(a_g'+a_c'), and connect it to the observable shadow through the evolving critical impact parameter, bcrit(v)=rph(v)2/f(rph(v))b_{\rm crit}(v)=\sqrt{r_{ph}(v)^2/f(r_{ph}(v))}. For Vaidya spacetimes this predicts that accretion (M˙>0\dot M>0) expands the photon sphere and increases the shadow angle, whereas mass loss has the opposite effect. Our formulation refines classic force-balance ideas to dynamical settings, provides a constructive link to time-dependent photon surfaces, and yields simple, observer-ready expressions for the evolution of the shadow. The framework offers a baseline for confronting time-variable horizon-scale imaging with dynamical inflow/outflow models.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2412.10930,
  title  = {Analytical approach for calculating shadow of dynamical black hole},
  author = {Vitalii Vertogradov and Ali Övgün},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2412.10930},
  year   = {2026}
}

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8 pages