Null geodesics in the C metric with a cosmological constant

Abstract

In this paper we study the motion of photons or massless particles in the C-metric with cosmological constant. The Hamilton--Jacobi equations are known to be completely separable, giving a Carter-like quantity $Q$ which is a constant of motion. All possible trajectories are classified according to a two-dimensional parameter space representing the particle's angular momentum and energy scaled in units of $Q$. Exact solutions are given in the C-metric coordinates in terms of Jacobi elliptic functions. Using the exact solutions, we find examples of periodic orbits on the photon surface.