Author:
Roux, Jean-Claude
Category:
Research Papers
Sub-Category:
Relativity Theory
Date Published:
June 10, 2025
Keywords:
General relativity, geometric optics, refraction index, light beam, Schwarzschild radius, flat space-time, Newtonian gravity, weak gravitational field, Shapiro time delay
Abstract:
This work develops a gravitational model based on an effective refractive index, providing an optical interpretation of spacetime curvature in weak gravitational fields. By establishing first- order equivalence with the Schwarzschild exterior metric, coordinate transformations are derived between the optical and relativistic frameworks. The model accurately reproduces the five classical tests of general relativity: light deflection, Shapiro time delay, gravitational redshift, radial free fall, and the perihelion precession of Mercury. Each result emerges naturally from a classical Lagrangian formalism within the optical geometry, with the refractive index parameter σ fixed by observational consistency. The effective potential, geodesic equations, and energy conservation laws are shown to match their general relativistic counterparts. This framework thus offers a coherent and testable alternative representation of gravity, rooted in classical optics and valid in the weak-field limit.
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