Shadows around the q-metric

Abstract

One crucial problem in relativistic astrophysics is that of the nature of black hole candidates. It is usually assumed that astrophysical black holes are described by the Schwarzschild or Kerr space–times; however, there is no direct evidence to assert this. Moreover, there are various solutions in general relativity that can be alternatives to black holes, usually called black hole mimickers. In this work, we study the shadow produced by a compact object described by the q-metric, which is the simplest static and axially symmetric solution of Einstein equations with a non-vanishing quadrupole moment. This particular space–time has the property of containing an independent parameter q, which is related to the compact object deformation. The solution corresponds to naked singularities for some specific values of this parameter. Additionally, we analyze the eigenvalues of the Riemann tensor using the SO(3, C) representation, which allows us to find, in an invariant way, regions where there may be repulsive effects. Furthermore, we numerically solve the motion equations to show the shadow, the Einstein ring, and the gravitational lensing to establish a possible signature of such repulsive effects. We found that as q is smaller, the Einstein ring decreases, but the shape is the same as the Schwarzschild black hole case. However, for values of q lower or equal than −0.5, repulsive gravitational effects appear in the gravitational lensing close to the compact object, where a strong dependence of the system to the initial conditions seems to take place.