Trapping photons by a line singularity

TL;DR

This paper explores solutions to Einstein's equations that describe trapping photons around a line singularity, including thin and thick radiative shells, with analysis of their energy conditions.

Contribution

It introduces new cylindrically symmetric solutions with photon shells, including numerical models of thick shells, expanding understanding of photon trapping in general relativity.

Findings

Positivity of energy density is established for thin shells.

Numerical solutions demonstrate the possibility of thick radiative shells.

Solutions describe photon trapping around line singularities.

Abstract

We present cylindrically symmetric, static solutions of the Einstein field equations around a line singularity such that the energy momentum tensor corresponds to infinitely thin photonic shells. Positivity of the energy density of the thin shell and the line singularity is discussed. It is also shown that thick shells containing mostly radiation are possible by a numerical solution.