Gravitational Lensing of Hayward Black Holes with EFT-Corrected Photon Propagation
Abstract
We investigate whether a Hayward regular black hole can be observationally distinguished from a Schwarzschild black hole through strong gravitational lensing when effective field theory (EFT) corrections to photon propagation are taken into account. We derive the modified photon propagation law induced by non-minimal couplings between the electromagnetic field and spacetime curvature, and analyze the resulting photon trajectories in the Hayward spacetime. Using the strong deflection limit, we derive the corrections to the photon sphere and the logarithmically divergent part of the deflection angle. Although the EFT corrections are parametrically small, their effects can be enhanced near the critical propagation region, where the deflection angle exhibits a logarithmic divergence. We evaluate the strong-deflection observables for representative values of the Hayward parameter and compare them with the Schwarzschild case. We find that EFT corrections to photon propagation can leave characteristic imprints on strong-lensing observables. Furthermore, the contribution of the EFT corrections becomes more pronounced as the Hayward parameter g3 approaches its critical value, indicating that curvature-dependent corrections to photon propagation can become particularly relevant in the near-critical regime. These results suggest that strong gravitational lensing may provide a means of distinguishing Hayward regular black holes from Schwarzschild black holes.
Related
- Distinguishing Dymnikova and Schwarzschild Black Holes through Gravitational Lensing with EFT-Corrected Photon Propagation
- Polarization-Dependent Photon Propagation, Quasinormal Modes, and Gravitational Lensing in Higher-Curvature Effective Theories
- Gravitational lensing outside and inside of a marginally unstable photon sphere at a Z2-symmetric wormhole throat in strong deflection limits
- Kerr-Degenerate Shadows and Distinct Strong-Deflection Lensing in Rotating Hayward-like and Bardeen-like Geometries
- Gravitational lensing in a spacetime with extra dimensions
BibTeX
@misc{kanai2026gravitational,
title = {{Gravitational Lensing of Hayward Black Holes with EFT-Corrected Photon Propagation}},
author = {Takamasa Kanai},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2608.26785},
eprint = {2608.26785},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.26785},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Gravitational Lensing of Hayward Black Holes with EFT-Corrected Photon Propagation
AU - Takamasa Kanai
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/31
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2608.26785
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.26785
AB - We investigate whether a Hayward regular black hole can be observationally distinguished from a Schwarzschild black hole through strong gravitational lensing when effective field theory (EFT) corrections to photon propagation are taken into account. We derive the modified photon propagation law induced by non-minimal couplings between the electromagnetic field and spacetime curvature, and analyze the resulting photon trajectories in the Hayward spacetime. Using the strong deflection limit, we derive the corrections to the photon sphere and the logarithmically divergent part of the deflection angle. Although the EFT corrections are parametrically small, their effects can be enhanced near the critical propagation region, where the deflection angle exhibits a logarithmic divergence. We evaluate the strong-deflection observables for representative values of the Hayward parameter and compare them with the Schwarzschild case. We find that EFT corrections to photon propagation can leave characteristic imprints on strong-lensing observables. Furthermore, the contribution of the EFT corrections becomes more pronounced as the Hayward parameter g^3 approaches its critical value, indicating that curvature-dependent corrections to photon propagation can become particularly relevant in the near-critical regime. These results suggest that strong gravitational lensing may provide a means of distinguishing Hayward regular black holes from Schwarzschild black holes.
ER -