General-Relativistic Path Effects and the Local Hubble Expansion

Abstract

We develop an effective mapping for low-redshift photon propagation that captures the leading path-dependent deviations from the standard FLRW redshift. Instead of relying on exact integrations of the Sachs optical equations, we introduce a minimal deformation of the redshift relation z_eff(z) = z minus alpha times f(z), where alpha is a small amplitude and f(z) suppresses the correction at z greater than approximately 0.1. This mapping does not modify the background expansion but encapsulates the leading contribution of inhomogeneous tidal fields to the accumulated Sachs redshift. We derive the implications for the luminosity distance, the low-redshift Hubble relation, and the directional dependence associated with local structure. The framework provides a clean general-relativistic description of path-dependent redshift drift and yields concrete predictions for forthcoming low-redshift surveys.