Classification of image distortions in terms of Petrov types

Authors: Chrobok T.¹; Perlick V.²

Source: Classical and Quantum Gravity, Volume 18, Number 15, 2001 , pp. 3059-3079(21)

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Abstract:

An observer surrounded by sufficiently small spherical light sources at a fixed distance will see a pattern of elliptical images distributed over the sky, owing to the distortion effect (shearing effect) of the spacetime geometry upon light bundles. In lowest non-trivial order with respect to the distance, this pattern is completely determined by the conformal curvature tensor (Weyl tensor) at the observation event. In this paper we derive formulae that allow one to calculate these distortion patterns in terms of the Newman-Penrose formalism. Then we represent the distortion patterns graphically for all Petrov types, and we discuss their dependence on the velocity of the observer.

Language: English

Document Type: Miscellaneous

Affiliations: 1: TU Berlin, Sekr. PN 7-1, 10623 Berlin, Germany 2: Albert Einstein Institute, 14476 Golm, Germany

Publication date: 2001-01-01