Phys. Rev. D 77, 124042 (2008) [11 pages]Einstein rings as a tool for estimating distances and the mass of a Schwarzschild black holeReceived 3 April 2008; published 26 June 2008 The bending of light due to the curvature of spacetime close to a black hole is so strong that light can even return to the point of emittance yielding an Einstein ring. Using the analytic solution of the geodesic equation in Schwarzschild spacetime and a distant star or a flash of light, we will be able to determine the mass of a black hole as well as the distance of the observer to this black hole, at least in principle. © 2008 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevD.77.124042
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevD.77.124042
PACS:
04.20.−q, 04.20.Jb, 04.20.Fy
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