Critique of the use of geodesics in astrophysics and cosmology

TL;DR

This paper critically examines the assumption that particles follow geodesics in astrophysics and cosmology, showing that wave-based propagation often deviates from geodesic paths, especially in curved spacetime, with implications for gravitational lensing and light behavior.

Contribution

The study demonstrates that wave equations do not generally lead to geodesic trajectories in curved spacetime, challenging the standard null geodesic approximation used in astrophysics.

Findings

Massless scalar fields' support extends beyond the light cone in curved space.

Eikonalization does not always produce null geodesics in curved spacetime.

Massive particles follow standard geodesics, unaffected by wave effects.

Abstract

Since particles obey wave equations, in general one is not free to postulate that particles move on the geodesics associated with test particles. Rather, for this to be the case one has to be able to derive such behavior starting from the equations of motion that the particles obey, and to do so one can employ the eikonal approximation. To see what kind of trajectories might occur we explore the domain of support of the propagators associated with the wave equations. For a minimally coupled massless scalar field the domain of support in curved space is shown to not be restricted to the light cone, while for a conformally coupled massless scalar field the curved space domain is only restricted to the light cone if it propagates in a conformal to flat background. Consequently, eikonalization does not in general lead to null geodesics for curved space massless rays even though it does lead to straight line trajectories in flat spacetime. Equal remarks apply to the massless conformal invariant Maxwell equations. However, for massive particles one does obtain standard geodesic behavior this way, since they do not propagate on the light cone to begin with. Thus depending on how big the curvature actually is, in principle, even if not necessarily in practice, the standard null-geodesic-based gravitational bending formula and the general behavior of propagating light rays are in need of modification in regions with high enough curvature. We show that relativistic eikonalization has an intrinsic light-front structure, and show that eikonalization in a theory with local conformal symmetry leads to trajectories that are only globally conformally symmetric. Normals to wavefronts follow the eikonal trajectories, with these trajectories being the trajectories along which energy and momentum are transported.