Title: Toward the Study of Photon Dynamics in Non-Separable Spacetimes

Place: Seminar del DAA. Jeroni Muñoz Research Building, fourth floor, in Burjassot.

Day: Thursday, july 23 , 2026. Time: 12.00.

Abstract:

Observations of black holes provide a unique opportunity to test general relativity in the strong-field regime. Interpreting these observations requires accurate numerical models of photon propagation through curved spacetime. This work develops and validates a generalized ray-tracing framework for computing null geodesics in stationary, axisymmetric spacetimes. Unlike many existing ray-tracing methods, the framework does not rely on metric separability or analytic solutions, allowing it to be applied to both separable and non-separable spacetimes. The framework is validated by reproducing known Schwarzschild and Kerr results before being applied to a quasi-Kerr spacetime as an initial demonstration of its broader applicability. This work provides a flexible framework for studying photon trajectories in more general spacetimes, with applications to black hole imaging and future tests of gravity.