Gravitational Lensing from a Spacetime Perspective
arXiv:1010.3416
Abstract
The theory of gravitational lensing is reviewed from a spacetime perspective, without quasi-Newtonian approximations. More precisely, the review covers all aspects of gravitational lensing where light propagation is described in terms of lightlike geodesics of a metric of Lorentzian signature. It includes the basic equations and the relevant techniques for calculating the position, the shape, and the brightness of images in an arbitrary general-relativistic spacetime. It also includes general theorems on the classification of caustics, on criteria for multiple imaging, and on the possible number of images. The general results are illustrated with examples of spacetimes where the lensing features can be explicitly calculated, including the Schwarzschild spacetime, the Kerr spacetime, the spacetime of a straight string, plane gravitational waves, and others.
120 pages, 31 figures; submitted to Living Reviews in Relativity; updated version of http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2004-9
References in corpus (46)
- Weak Gravitational Lensing
- Viewing the Shadow of the Black Hole at the Galactic Center
- Measurement of the Kerr Spin Parameter by Observation of a Compact Object's Shadow
- On smooth Cauchy hypersurfaces and Geroch's splitting theorem
- Gravitational Lensing by Black Holes
- Apparent shape of super-spinning black holes
- Spacetime perspective of Schwarzschild lensing
- Natural Wormholes as Gravitational Lenses
- Gravitational lensing by a charged black hole of string theory
- A New Method for Determining Cumulative Gravitational Lensing Effects in Inhomogeneous Universes
- Detection of the velocity dipole in the radio galaxies of the NRAO VLA Sky Survey
- A comparison of approximate gravitational lens equations and a proposal for an improved new one
- Gravitational lensing by Einstein-Born-Infeld black holes
- A rigorous solution concept for geodesic and geodesic deviation equations in impulsive gravitational waves
- Formalism for testing theories of gravity using lensing by compact objects. II: Probing Post-Post-Newtonian metrics
- An Exact Universal Gravitational Lensing Equation
- Relativistic Images in Randall-Sundrum II Braneworld Lensing
- Boson Stars as Gravitational Lenses
- Gravoelectromagnetic approach to the gravitational Faraday rotation in stationary spacetimes
- A New Independent Limit on the Cosmological Constant/Dark Energy from the Relativistic Bending of Light by Galaxies and Clusters of Galaxies
- Strong gravitational lensing across dilaton anti-de Sitter black hole
- The Theory of Caustics and Wavefront Singularities with Physical Applications
- On the optical-mechanical analogy in general relativity
- Analytical formulas for gravitational lensing
- The galactic center black hole as a possible retro-lens for the S2 orbiting star
- Optics in the Schwarzschild space-time
- A dipole anisotropy of galaxy distribution: Does the CMB rest-frame exist in the local universe?
- Analytical formulas for gravitational lensing: higher order calculation
- Stable singularities of wave-fronts in general relativity
- Deviation of geodesics in FLRW spacetime geometries
- Fermat Potentials for Non-Perturbative Gravitational Lensing
- Photon redshift and the appearance of a naked singularity
- The Eikonal Equation in Flat Space: Null Surfaces and Their Singularities I
- Image distortion from optical scalars in non perturbative gravitational lensing
- Direct Observation of Cosmic Strings via their Strong Gravitational Lensing Effect: I. Predictions for High Resolution Imaging Surveys
- How Does Naked Singularity Look?
- Null Cones in Schwarzschild Geometry
- Image distortion in non perturbative gravitational lensing
- Ultracompact stars with multiple necks
- Optics near Kerr black holes: spectra of advection dominated accretion flows
- Appearance of the central singularity in spherical collapse
- Kerr black holes in horizon-generating form
- The Future of Gravitational Optics
- Multiple imaging by gravitational waves
- Comparative Studies of Lensing Methods
- Dynamics of Fermat potentials in non-perturbative gravitational lensing