Photon Trajectories
A computational general relativity simulator that traces how light bends, loops and falls into a Schwarzschild black hole.
Designed a computational general relativity simulator that models photon trajectories around a Schwarzschild black hole through numerical integration of null geodesics. Investigated gravitational lensing, photon capture, critical impact parameters, and black hole shadow formation while benchmarking numerical results against analytical solutions.
The integrator steps photons through curved spacetime and sorts each one by outcome — deflected, captured, or trapped on the photon sphere — which is what produces the shadow’s sharp edge. Every result was checked against the closed-form deflection angle so the numerics could be trusted where no analytical answer exists.
Context
- Workshop — built out of the Perimeter Institute GoPhysics General Relativity & Black Holes workshop.
- Methods — numerical integration of null geodesics, benchmarked against analytical lensing solutions.