A general method for solving light-like geodesics

Abstract

A universal method to solve the differential equations of light-like geodesics is developed. The validity of this method depends on a new theorem, which is introduced for light-like geodesics in analogy to Beltrami's "geometrical" method for time-like geodesics. we apply the method to the Schwarzschild and Kerr spacetime as two examples. The general solutions of the light-like geodesic equations in the two spacetimes are derived straightforwadly. After setting $\theta=\pi/2$, the general light-like geodesics in Schwarzschild spacetime reduce to the same expression as that in literatures. The method developed and results obtained in this paper may be useful in modeling dynamical phenomena in strong gravitaional fields like black holes since the solutions are expressed in terms of elliptic integrals, which can be calculated effectively.