Maxwell equations in a curved spacetime: Spin optics approximation

Abstract

We study propagation of high-frequency electromagnetic waves in a curved spacetime. We demonstrate how a modification of the standard geometric optics allows one to include the helicity dependent corrections into the equations of motion of circularly polarized beams of radiation. As a result, polarized light rays are still null but not geodesic curves. To achieve these results we construct null frames associated with a set of (non-geodesic) null rays and use these frames for description of the high-frequency wave propagation. We call this approach spin optics approximation. It is completely covariant and it can be used in an arbitrary time-dependent gravitational field.