Related papers: Decoding a black hole metric from the interferomet…
Can the observation of the "shadow" allow us to distinguish a black hole from a more exotic compact object? We study the motion of photons in a class of vacuum static axially-symmetric space-times that is continuously linked to the…
We describe the possible forms of black hole images, viewed by a distant observer. These images are numerically calculated basing on general relativity and equations of motion in the Kerr-Newman metric. Black hole image is a gravitationally…
The basic properties of the C-metric are well known. It describes a pair of causally separated black holes which accelerate in opposite directions under the action of forces represented by conical singularities. However, these properties…
Compact objects with a light sphere such as black holes and wormholes can reflect light rays like a mirror. This gravitational lensing phenomenon is called retrolensing and it is an interesting tool to survey dark and compact objects with a…
Black holes in General Relativity are described by space-time metrics that are simpler in comparison to non-vacuum compact objects. However, given the universality of the gravitational pull, it is expected that dark matter accumulates…
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,…
Gravitational lensing near a black hole is strong enough that light rays can circle the event horizon multiple times. Photons emitted in multiple directions at a single event, perhaps because of localized, impulsive heating of accreting…
The gravitational field of supermassive black holes is able to strongly bend light rays emitted by nearby sources. When the deflection angle exceeds $\pi$, gravitational lensing can be analytically approximated by the so-called strong…
General relativity predicts that gravitational lensing near black holes will produce narrow "photon rings" on images. Building on recent work of Johnson, Lupsasca et al. focusing on circular rings, I calculate the long-baseline…
The horizon-scale images of black holes obtained with the Event Horizon Telescope have provided new probes of their metrics and tests of General Relativity. The images are characterized by a bright, near circular ring from the…
Imaging a supermassive black hole and extracting physical information requires good knowledge of both the gravitational and the astrophysical conditions near the black hole. When the geometrical properties of the black hole are well…
In this work are reviewed several aspects of gravitational lensing produced by astrophysical bodies that strongly curve the spacetime in their vicinity. When an object with a photon sphere (e.g. a black hole) is interposed between a source…
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…
Light rays passing very close to black holes may wind several times before escaping. For any given electromagnetic source around the black hole, a distant observer would thus observe two infinite sequences of images on either side of the…
Interpreting horizon-scale observations of astrophysical black holes demands a general understanding of null geodesics in the Kerr spacetime. These may be divided into two classes: "direct" rays that primarily determine the observational…
Regular black hole metrics involve a universal, mass-independent regulator that can be up to O(700) km while remaining consistent with terrestrial tests of Newtonian gravity and astrophysical tests of general relativistic orbits. However,…
The general parametrization of a black-hole spacetime in arbitrary metric theories of gravity includes an infinite set of parameters. It is natural to suppose that essential astrophysically observable quantities, such as quasinormal modes,…
Using the general parametrization of spherically symmetric and asymptotically flat black holes in arbitrary metric theories of gravity and implying that: a) the post-Newtonian constraints are taken into account and b) basic astrophysically…
The images of supermassive black holes surrounded by optically-thin, radiatively-inefficient accretion flows, like those observed with the Event Horizon Telescope, are characterized by a bright ring of emission surrounding the black-hole…
Black holes are real astrophysical objects, but their interiors are hidden and can only be "observed" through mathematics. The structure of rotating black holes is typically illustrated with the help of special coordinates. But any such…