Related papers: Seeing through a nearly black star
When a charge is held static near a constant density spherical star, it experiences a self-force which is significantly different from the force it would experience when placed near a black hole of the same mass. In this paper, an…
We propose a way to distinguish compact stellar object, whose size is very close to its Schwarzschild radius, from the collapsing stars. Namely, we show that {\it massive} fields in the vicinity of a very compact stellar object have…
Astrophysical black hole candidates, although long thought to have a horizon, could be horizonless ultra-compact objects. This intriguing possibility is motivated by the black hole information paradox and a plausible fundamental connection…
Stereoscopic visualization adds an additional dimension to the viewer's experience, giving them a sense of distance. In a general relativistic visualization, distance can be measured in a variety of ways. We argue that the affine distance,…
The singularity of a spherical (Schwarzschild) black hole is a surface, not a point. A freely-falling, non-rotating observer sees Hawking radiation with energy density diverging with radius as $\rho \propto r^{-6}$ near the Schwarzschild…
We investigate the gravitational lensing of a Schwarzschild-de Sitter black hole with a global monopole at finite distances. In this asymptotically nonflat spacetime, the deflection angle of light is decomposed into two parts: the first…
The distortion of the spacetime structure in the surroundings of black holes affects the trajectories of light rays. As a consequence, black holes can act as gravitational lenses. Observations of type Ia supernovas, show that our Universe…
Astrophysical black holes are usually surrounded by an accretion disk. At least parts of these accretion disks consist of a plasma in which light rays with different energies are dispersed. However, we usually do not know the exact…
In Schwarzschild spacetime the value $r=3m$ of the radius coordinate is characterized by three different properties: (a) there is a ``light sphere'', (b) there is ``centrifugal force reversal'', (c) it is the upper limiting radius for a…
In the neighborhood of Sgr A*, several stars (S2, S12, S14, S1, S8, S13) enjoy an accurate determination of their orbital parameters. General Relativity predicts that the central black hole acts as a gravitational lens on these stars,…
We consider a simple spherical model consisting of a Schwarzschild black hole of mass $M$ and a dark matter of mass $\Delta M$ around it. The general formula for the radius of black-hole shadow has been derived in this case. It is shown…
We give a full metric describing the gravitational field of a static and axisymmetric thin disk without radial pressure encircling a Schwarzschild black hole. The disk density profiles are astrophysically realistic, stretching from the…
We present the shape of the black hole shadow on the standard background screen as it is registered by the distant observer. The screen is an infinite plane, emitting the quanta uniformly distributed to a hemisphere. The source of emission…
A class of observers is introduced that interpolate smoothly between the Schwarzschild observer, stable at spatial infinity, and the Kerr-Schild observer, who falls into a black hole. For these observers the passing of the event and inner…
We present the geodesical completion of the Schwarzschild black hole in four dimensions which covers the entire space in (u,v) Kruskal-Szekeres coordinates, including the spacetime behind the black and white hole singularities. The…
It has been recently reported that, at late times, the total luminosity of a star freely falling in black holes decays exponentially with time, and one or two series of flashes with decreasing intensity are seen by a specific observer,…
We investigate the scattering of electromagnetic and gravitational waves off a Reissner-Nordstr\"om black hole in the low-temperature regime where the near-horizon throat experiences large quantum fluctuations. We find that the black hole…
As a consequence of Birkhoff's theorem, the exterior gravitational field of a spherically symmetric star or black hole is always given by the Schwarzschild metric. In contrast, the exterior gravitational field of a rotating (axisymmetric)…
The objectivity of black hole entropy is discussed in the particular case of a Schwarzchild black hole. Using Jaynes' maximum entropy formalism and Euclidean path integral evaluation of partition function, it is argued that in the…
We revisit the classic system of a spherically symmetric black hole in general relativity (i.e., a Schwarzschild black hole) surrounded by a geometrically thin accretion disk. Our purpose is to examine whether one can determine three…