Electromagnetic Wave Scattering by Schwarzschild Black Holes

We analyze the scattering of a planar monochromatic electromagnetic wave incident upon a Schwarzschild black hole. We obtain accurate numerical results from the partial wave method for the electromagnetic scattering cross section and show that they are in excellent agreement with analytical approximations. The scattering of electromagnetic waves is compared with the scattering of scalar, spinor, and gravitational waves. We present a unified picture of the scattering of all massless fields for the first time.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq)

Roberto Fabbri for email correspondence

Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET)

Coordenacao de Aperfeic, oamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)