Skip to main content
Log in

Local and Global Light Bending in Einstein's and Other Gravitational Theories

General Relativity and Gravitation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To remedy a certain confusion in the literature, we stress the distinction between local and global light bending. Local bending is a purely kinematic effect between mutually accelerating reference frames tracking the same signal, and applies via Einstein's equivalence principle exactly and equally in Newton's, Einstein's, Nordström's and other gravitational theories, independently of all field equations. Global bending, on the other hand, arises as an integral of local bending and depends critically on the conformal spacetime structure and thus on the specific field equations of a given theory.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. Nordström, G. (1913). Ann. der Physik 42, 533.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Norton, J. D. (1992). Archive for the History of Exact Sciences 45, 17.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Straumann, N. (1984). General Relativity and Relativistic Astrophysics (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Pauli, W. (1963). Relativitätstheorie (reprint with additional footnotes, Paolo Boringhieri Publishers, Torino).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Will, C. M. (1987). In 300 Years of Gravitation, S. Hawking and W. Israel, eds. (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Rindler, W. (1977). Essential Relativity (2nd. ed., Springer-Verlag, New York, Heidelberg, Berlin).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Einstein, A. (1907). Jahrbuch für Radioaktivität und Elektronik 4, 411.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Pais, A. (1982). Subtle is the Lord (Oxford University Press, Oxford).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Penrose, R., and Rindler, W. (1986). Spinors and Spacetime, vol.2 (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Synge, J. L. (1960). Relativity: The General Theory (North-Holland, Amsterdam).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Einstein, A. (1911). Ann. der Physik 35, 898.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Einstein, A. (1915). Ber. Preuss. Akad. d. Wiss. 831.

Download references

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ehlers, J., Rindler, W. Local and Global Light Bending in Einstein's and Other Gravitational Theories. General Relativity and Gravitation 29, 519–529 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018843001842

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018843001842

Navigation