Null shear (${\hat{\sigma }}_{ab}$)

The null shear is the symmetric trace-free part ${\hat{\sigma }}_{ab}={\hat{B}}_{(ab)}-\theta P_{ab}/(D-2)$. It changes the shape of a transverse beam while preserving its area to first order.

For an affine null congruence in four spacetime dimensions with a parallel-transported screen, the displayed equation follows by taking the symmetric trace-free part of the Sachs optical equations. The Ricci contribution to the optical tidal tensor is $P_{ab}{R}_{cd}{U}^c{U}^d/2$, so it changes the expansion but contributes no screen-trace-free source. The projected Weyl tensor supplies the tidal source of shear.