English

Parameter estimation of Kerr-Bertotti-Robinson black holes using their shadows

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology 2026-01-28 v3

Abstract

We investigate the shadow of Kerr-Bertotti-Robinson black holes (KBRBHs), which have a deviation parameter BB that captures the effect of an external magnetic field on the spacetime geometry. These spacetimes of Petrov type DD are asymptotically non-flat. We utilise the separability of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation to generate null geodesics and examine the crucial impact parameters for unstable photon orbits that define the black hole shadow. We carefully investigate how the magnetic field strength BB and spin parameter aa influence black hole shadows, discovering that increasing BB increases the shadow size while also introducing additional distortions, especially at high spins. We calculate the shadow observables, viz., area AA and oblateness DD and create contour plots in the parameter space (a,B)(a, B) to facilitate parameter estimation. We also investigate the dependence of the shadow on the observer's position, specifically by altering the radial coordinate rOr_O and the inclination angle θ\theta. For far viewers, the shadow approaches its asymptotic shape, but finite-distance observers perceive substantial deviations. The energy emission rate analysis reveals that the magnetic field parameter BB modifies the Hawking radiation spectrum, with increasing BB suppressing emission via backreaction, which lowers the Hawking temperature. Our findings confirm that KBRBH shadows encode imprints of magnetic deviations, thereby offering a potential avenue to distinguish Kerr from non-Kerr spacetimes and to probe magnetic effects in the strong-gravity regime.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2508.15862,
  title  = {Parameter estimation of Kerr-Bertotti-Robinson black holes using their shadows},
  author = {Heena Ali and Sushant G. Ghosh},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2508.15862},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

18 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, matched with the published version