Gravitational lensing and wormhole shadows

TL;DR

This paper investigates how light rays bend and form shadows around wormholes with zero gravitational mass, comparing these effects to those near Schwarzschild black holes, enhancing understanding of wormhole optics.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of light scattering and shadow formation around zero-mass wormholes, a novel exploration in gravitational lensing phenomena.

Findings

Wormholes with zero gravitational mass can capture light rays and produce observable shadows.

The shadow formation mechanisms differ from those near Schwarzschild black holes.

The study offers insights into potential observational signatures of wormholes.

Abstract

The problem of bending and scattering of light rays passing outside from the entrance to a wormhole with zero gravitational mass is considered. The process of ray capture by a wormhole as well as the process of formation of a shadow when illuminated by a standard screen is investigated. These mechanisms are also compared to the case of motion of light rays in the vicinity of the Schwarzschild black hole.