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A light ray follows a null geodesic. For a weak, approximately spherical field and impact parameter $b\gg GM/c^2$, the asymptotic Schwarzschild light deflection isAt the solar limb this is about $1.75$ arcseconds, whereas a simple Newtonian fast-particle calculation gives half that value. The difference tests relativistic spacetime geometry beyond the universality of slow-body free fall. The quoted angle compares incoming and outgoing directions far from the deflector, not a locally measured turn at a sharp vertex.

For an eclipse measurement, photograph background stars near the obscured Sun and compare their apparent positions with reference plates taken when that field is away from the Sun. Back-projecting the deflected incoming light makes a star appear displaced outward from the Sun's apparent position. Fit the radial displacement against inverse angular separation from the Sun, while allowing plate translation, rotation and scale. The expected pattern must be separated from atmospheric refraction, optical distortion and changes of focus or scale, rather than inferred from one displaced star.

The 1919 expeditions obtained observations at Sobral and Príncipe, published by Frank Watson Dyson, Arthur Eddington and Charles Davidson in 1920. The original report compares eclipse and reference plates and discusses instrument scale and image-quality limitations; it should not be treated as an exact modern precision measurement.^[ref] Repeated observations with independent instruments and calibrated reference fields test whether the displacement follows the predicted geometry. vacuum gravitational bending is achromatic to this order, a useful distinction from dispersive propagation effects.

The relativistic orbit-shape equation can be derived without dividing by $\dot{r}$ at a turning point. Substitute the norm constraint into the radial geodesic equation to eliminate $\dot{t}$ and ${\dot{r}}^2$. Using $f^{\prime }=2\mu /r^2$ givesFor a massive particle with proper time as parameter, $\kappa =c^2$. Put $u=1/r$, and use primes in this paragraph for derivatives with respect to $\varphi$. The constant specific angular momentum gives $\dot{\varphi }=h{u}^2$, so the chain rule yieldsSubstituting these expressions into the radial equation and dividing by $h^2{u}^2$ for a nonradial orbit givesThe extra $3\mu u^2$ term is responsible for Schwarzschild perihelion precession. It vanishes in the Newtonian weak-field limit $\mu /r\to 0$. The derivation uses a massive particle; for a null geodesic, $\kappa =0$ and the constant $GM/h^2$ on the right is absent.

Put $r_s=2\mu$ and $f(r)=1-r_s/r$. Radial null geodesics of the Schwarzschild metric obeyNear the horizon, $\delta =r-r_s$ satisfies$C>0$ describes the exterior and $C<0$ the interior. The exponential approach in Schwarzschild coordinate time resembles part (a), but $\delta$ is not a proper radial distance.

Outside, set $\rho =2\sqrt{r_s\delta }$ and retain the leading near-horizon terms. The radial metric becomes the Rindler limit of a Schwarzschild horizon:It agrees with part (a) for $x=\rho$, $\alpha =c/(2r_s)$. Accordingly $\rho \propto e^{\pm ct/(2r_s)}$, while $\delta \propto {\rho }^2$ explains the factor two in its exponent.

Inside, write $r=r_s-{\rho }^2/(4r_s)$. The leading radial metric is insteadHere the radial coordinate is timelike and the Schwarzschild $t$ coordinate is spacelike. Thus $x<0$ in the Rindler metric does not represent the black-hole interior: $g_{tt}=(\alpha x{)}^2$ stays positive on both Rindler wedges. In the black-hole interior all future-directed radial light rays move towards decreasing $r$; the two signs of $dr/dt$ do not mean opposite future radial directions because $t$ is no longer time.

The horizon is a coordinate singularity in Schwarzschild coordinates and in the accelerated chart, not a curvature singularity. The full Schwarzschild geometry nevertheless has genuine tidal forces; the flat Rindler metric captures its leading local radial near-horizon structure.

For a grazing null geodesic, take the impact parameter as $b\simeq R=6.0\times 10^6\mathrm{m}$. The leading Schwarzschild light deflection isWith the gravitational constant $G\simeq 6.6743\times 10^{-11}{\mathrm{m}}^3\mathrm{k}{\mathrm{g}}^{-1}{\mathrm{s}}^{-2}$ and speed of light $c\simeq 2.998\times 10^8\mathrm{m}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$,Here $GM/(R{c}^2)\simeq 2.5\times 10^{-4}\ll 1$, so the weak-field approximation is appropriate. A ray passing at a larger impact parameter has a correspondingly smaller deflection.

For $h\ne 0$, the effective potential vanishes at $r=2\mu$, rises to a maximum, and then falls to zero as $r\to \infty$. Its derivative is $V_{\mathrm{eff}}^{\prime }=h^2(3\mu -r)/r^4$, so the only circular null geodesic hasThe second derivative there is $V_{\mathrm{eff}}^{\prime \prime }=-h^2/(81{\mu }^4)<0$, proving instability by the effective potential stability criterion. These circular orbits make up the photon sphere. If the formula is continued inside the horizon, the potential is negative and diverges to $-\infty$ as $r\downarrow 0$. For purely radial light, $h=0$, the potential is identically zero and there is no circular orbit.

Adiabatic photon redshifting gives $T\propto a^{-1}$. Using the stipulated temperatures,In the flat dust approximation of part c, $t=t_0{a}^{3/2}$, so $t_{\mathrm{rec}}\simeq (2/3H_0)1000^{-3/2}\simeq 2.75\times 10^5$ years. This approximation omits the significant radiation contribution near the actual recombination epoch.

The elementary travel-distance estimate is $c{t}_{\mathrm{rec}}\simeq 8.4\times 10^4$ pc, whose corresponding comoving scale today is about $84$ Mpc. In an expanding universe, however, that is not the exact proper particle-horizon radius. Integrating the null geodesic givesfor dust. Thus the proper horizon at this epoch is about $0.25$ Mpc and its present comoving size about $250$ Mpc. The factor three accounts for expansion during light propagation. These scales describe the limited causal domain in the simple decelerating model. The near-uniform CMB temperature across much more widely separated last-scattering regions motivates the horizon problem; the question's rough $ct$ estimate and the exact dust horizon should not be conflated.

Past null infinity is the ideal boundary from which incoming null geodesics arrive in an asymptotically flat spacetime. In the Minkowski conformal compactification it is $T-R=-\pi$, with the retarded coordinate tending to $-\infty$ and the advanced coordinate finite.

The Penrose singularity theorem states that a globally hyperbolic spacetime with a noncompact Cauchy hypersurface, a closed trapped surface, and the null convergence condition is future null-geodesically incomplete. Time reversal replaces the trapped surface by an anti-trapped surface and gives past incompleteness.

In his 1965 paper Gravitational Collapse and Space-Time Singularities, Roger Penrose used trapped surfaces and global causal structure to address whether nonspherical perturbations could avert a breakdown during gravitational collapse. Quasars supplied the opening astrophysical motivation. The paper used metric signature $(+,-,-,-)$ and a stronger timelike local-energy assumption; the statement above uses the modern null convergence condition.^[ref]

For this version, take a smooth connected four-dimensional spacetime with a time orientation. A Cauchy hypersurface meets every inextendible causal curve exactly once; its existence expresses global hyperbolicity. The hypersurface must be noncompact, meaning not compact; this is a global spatial condition, not an assumption about the size of the collapsing body. The null convergence condition is $R_{ab}{k}^a{k}^b\ge 0$ for every null vector $k$. Through the Einstein field equations it follows from the null energy condition; a cosmological constant drops out of the null contraction.^[ref]

The conclusion is that at least one future-inextendible null geodesic has a finite upper endpoint of its affine parameter. It neither asserts infinite mass density or divergent curvature at every endpoint, nor says that such an endpoint is visible. Locating an event horizon requires additional global information; the theorem is not a horizon-finding rule for arbitrary spacetimes. Weak cosmic censorship conjecture is an additional issue.^[ref]

The supermassive black hole account describes the motivating observational evidence from stellar orbits at the Galactic centre. Such measurements infer a compact gravitating mass. They do not observe a trapped surface, measure a geodesic's complete future, or experimentally prove the Penrose singularity theorem.

A photon sphere is a spherical set of circular null geodesics. In Schwarzschild spacetime it occurs at $r=3M$ and is unstable.

For lapse $\alpha =1-r^2/r_S^2$, conservation of static time momentum and an origin normalization give $\alpha \dot{t}=1$. The null geodesic condition gives $\dot{r}=\pm c$. The outgoing ray from the origin therefore obeys $t=(r_S/c)\mathrm{artanh}(r/r_S)$ and the title trajectory. Static-coordinate time diverges at the horizon, while the chosen affine parameter reaches it at $r_S/c$. Local stationary observers inside the patch still measure speed $c$.

The two radial null geodesic families are $v=\text{constant}$ and $dr/dv=(1-2M(v)/r)/2$. The first has affine radius, while the second has tangent $k={\partial }_v+(f/2){\partial }_r$ obeying ${\nabla }_{k}k=(M/r^2)k$, so advanced time is generally a nonaffine parameter. An affine parameter $\lambda$ for the outgoing family satisfies $d\log (dv/d\lambda )/dv=-M/r^2$.

A cosmological redshift relates a particular emission event to a particular reception event along a null geodesic. Two sources' redshifts on Earth's past light cone do not specify the light exchanged between those sources. If a photon from B passes through A before reaching Earth, and A's comparison emission lies at that passage event, then $1+z_{BA}=(1+z_B)/(1+z_A)$. Without this causal and temporal specification the ratio need not give the redshift measured in A.

For the Kruskal–Szekeres coordinates of a positive-mass Schwarzschild spacetime, $UV=(1-r/(2M))e^{r/(2M)}$. The displayed conformal compactification makes radial null geodesics lines of slope $\pm 1$. The Killing horizons are $T=\pm X$, and the spacelike curvature singularities $r=0$ lie at $T=\pm \pi /4$, with $|X|<\pi /4$. Two asymptotically flat exterior regions each have past null infinity, null infinity to the future, timelike infinity and spacelike infinity. The two exterior regions cannot communicate by any causal curve; future-directed curves that cross a future horizon instead end at the black-hole singularity.

For proper number density $n(t)$ in an FLRW metric $d{s}^2=d{t}^2-a^2[d{r}^2/(1-k{r}^2)+r^{2}d{\Omega }^2]$, a radial shell has proper volume $4\pi a^3{r}^2|dr|/\sqrt{1-k{r}^2}$. A radial null geodesic obeys $|dr|=\sqrt{1-k{r}^2}dt/a$. Multiplication gives the displayed shell count on a local radial branch of the past light cone. Spatially uniform number density need not be time independent or have conserved comoving number density.

For a photon in $d{s}^2=a^2[-d{\tau }^2+({\delta }_{ij}+h_{ij})d{x}^{i}d{x}^j]$, the null geodesic condition cancels the homogeneous $2\mathcal{H}{p}^0$ term in the derivative of $q=a^2{p}^0$. The remaining first-order geodesic equation gives the displayed momentum change. Its direction is constant at zeroth order, so first-order redshift and brightness sources can be evaluated on the unperturbed ray; direction deflection multiplied by an already first-order anisotropy is second order.

A timelike geodesic has timelike tangent and vanishing covariant acceleration in an affine parameter. Choosing proper time gives $g(\dot{\gamma },\dot{\gamma })=-1$.

Physically, an ideal massive test particle in free fall follows a timelike geodesic when nongravitational forces and appreciable self-gravity can be neglected. The normalization above uses $c=1$; in SI units it is $g(u,u)=-c^2$. Zero covariant acceleration does not mean constant coordinate velocity: a dropped object accelerates relative to the ground. Conversely, a person standing on the ground is pushed away from free fall by the supporting surface. A photon follows a null geodesic, whose parameter cannot be proper time. See Tong's geodesics in spacetime.

A tortoise coordinate straightens radial null directions. For a static radial metric $-F(r)d{t}^2+G(r)d{r}^2$ outside a horizon, choose $d{r}_{\ast }/dr=\sqrt{G/F}$; then $t\pm r_{\ast }$ are constant along the corresponding radial null geodesics. Continuation across horizons requires choosing branches consistently rather than replacing an analytic derivative by its absolute value.

For distinct horizon radii $a>b>0$, integrating $d{r}_{\star }/dr=f^{-1}$ gives $r_{\star }=r+\frac{a^3}{2(a^2-b^2)}\log |(r-a)/(r+a)|-\frac{b^3}{2(a^2-b^2)}\log |(r-b)/(r+b)|+C$. The tortoise coordinate defines constant retarded or advanced coordinates on radial null geodesics.

A concrete example separates a trapped surface from a failure of coordinates. Use geometrized units $G=c=1$, metric signature $(-,+,+,+)$, and the regular ingoing Eddington-Finkelstein coordinates of a Schwarzschild black hole with mass $M>0$:For a round sphere, choose future null vector normalsThe spherical null expansion in ingoing coordinates follows directly from $A=4\pi r^2$: ${\theta }_k=2k(r)/r$. At $r=3M$, $({\theta }_{+},{\theta }_{-})=(1/(9M),-2/(3M))$; at $r=3M/2$, it is $(-2/(9M),-4/(3M))$. Both future light fronts shrink in the second case. At $r=2M$, ${\theta }_{+}=0$, so this sphere is marginally outer trapped surface, not a strict trapped surface. In the spherical model this boundary is an event horizon; that identification does not extend to arbitrary geometries.

Although $k_{-}$ is affine as written, $k_{+}$ generally obeys ${\nabla }_{k_{+}}{k}_{+}=(M/r^2)k_{+}$. These are valid initial normals for the sign test; use affine rescaling of a null normal before applying the affine Null Raychaudhuri equation. Regularity of the displayed metric tensor at $r=2M$ shows why a divergence in another chart would not establish null geodesic incompleteness.

On a compact trapped surface, both null expansions have a uniform negative margin. Sufficiently small smooth perturbations controlling the relevant metric tensor and surface derivatives preserve trapping. This conditional robustness does not prove that every nonspherical gravitational collapse creates a trapped surface.^[ref]

A trapped surface is a closed spacelike codimension-two surface whose two future-directed orthogonal null congruences both have negative expansion.

In four-dimensional spacetime, “closed” here means compact without boundary; “spacelike” means that the induced metric tensor is positive definite. Let $k_{+},k_{-}$ be the two future null vector normals and $q_{ab}$ the induced metric tensor. Their null expansions areHere $dA$ is an infinitesimal transverse area element and ${\lambda }_{\pm }$ an affine parameter along the respective normal null geodesics. A future trapped surface has ${\theta }_{+}<0$ and ${\theta }_{-}<0$ everywhere: even the outward-directed light front initially loses area. Multiplying either future normal by a positive function multiplies its initial null expansion by that function, preserving the sign. A small inward-converging patch is insufficient: the entire closed surface must satisfy both strict inequalities.