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Light bending in Schwarzschild–de Sitter: projective geometry of the optical metric

G W Gibbons1, C M Warnick1 and M C Werner1,2

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We interpret the well-known fact that the equations for light rays in the Kottler or Schwarzschild–de Sitter metric are independent of the cosmological constant in terms of the projective equivalence of the optical metric for any value of Λ. We explain why this does not imply that lensing phenomena are independent of Λ. Motivated by this example, we find a large collection of one-parameter families of projectively equivalent metrics including both the Kottler optical geometry and the constant curvature metrics as special cases. Using standard constructions for geodesically equivalent metrics we find classical and quantum conserved quantities and relate these to known quantities.


PACS

95.30.Sf Relativity and gravitation

02.40.Dr Euclidean and projective geometries

04.20.-q Classical general relativity

98.80.Es Observational cosmology (including Hubble constant, distance scale, cosmological constant, early Universe, etc)

MSC

83F05 Cosmology

85A40 Cosmology (For relativistic cosmology, see 83F05)

53D25 Geodesic flows

83C40 Gravitational energy and conservation laws; groups of motions

Subjects

Mathematical physics

Gravitation and cosmology

Astrophysics and astroparticles

Dates

Issue 24 (21 December 2008)

Received 8 September 2008

Published 27 November 2008



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