🌌 Black Hole Photon Simulator

Simulate the mesmerizing dance of photons around a black hole! This Unity project visualizes gravitational light bending, photon trajectories, and the event horizon of a black hole using physics-inspired approximations.

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Recording.2025-10-27.171412.mp4

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🔭 Features

• 🌑 Black Hole Modeling

  • Schwarzschild black hole with configurable mass.
  • Event horizon visualization based on the Schwarzschild radius.

• 💡 Photon Simulation

  • Track photons in 3D space around a black hole.
  • Tangential and radial velocities to mimic realistic light paths.
  • Newtonian-style approximation for gravitational light bending.

• 📐 Physics Approximations

  • Schwarzschild metric-inspired motion.
  • Optional Paczyński–Wiita potential for pseudo-Newtonian black holes.
  • Light bending computed using a ~ 2*M/r² in geometric units.

• 🎯 Interactive Visualization

  • Photon trajectories rendered as GameObjects.
  • Adjustable step sizes for numerical integration.
  • Explore photon capture, deflection, and escape.

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🔬 Scientific Background

Schwarzschild Metric 🌑

The Schwarzschild solution describes spacetime around a non-rotating black hole:

[ r_s = \frac{2GM}{c^2} ]

• ( r_s ) – Schwarzschild radius (event horizon)
• ( M ) – Mass of the black hole
• ( G ) – Gravitational constant
• ( c ) – Speed of light

Inside ( r_s ), not even light can escape.

Paczyński–Wiita Potential 🌀

A pseudo-Newtonian approximation often used for simulations:

[ \Phi_{PW}(r) = -\frac{GM}{r - r_s} ]

• Simplifies relativistic calculations while maintaining key black hole behaviors.

Photon Trajectories 💫

Photons follow curved paths due to spacetime curvature. Using the simulation:

• Deflection: Light bends near the black hole, creating gravitational lensing effects.
• Capture: Photons entering ( r_s ) are absorbed — visualized as disappearing trajectories.
• Escape: Photons far from the black hole move mostly in straight lines.

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