Analytical approach for calculating shadow of dynamical black hole

Abstract

We develop a compact and transparent framework for photon dynamics and shadow formation in slowly evolving, spherically symmetric spacetimes. Starting from the Eddington-Finkelstein action, we derive a force-decomposed radial equation in which the radial acceleration splits into an induced term sourced by mass variation, a centrifugal term, and a purely general-relativistic correction. A key result is a gauge-invariant energy-flux relation, $d(E^2)/dv=-\Lambda/r$, with $\Lambda\equiv \varepsilon\,\dot M\,\dot v^2$, which controls how time dependence modifies the canonical energy of null geodesics. In the adiabatic regime we obtain an explicit first-order shift of the photon-sphere radius, $r_{ph}(v)=r_0-a_i/(a_g'+a_c')$, and connect it to the observable shadow through the evolving critical impact parameter, $b_{\rm crit}(v)=\sqrt{r_{ph}(v)^2/f(r_{ph}(v))}$. For Vaidya spacetimes this predicts that accretion ($\dot M>0$) expands the photon sphere and increases the shadow angle, whereas mass loss has the opposite effect. Our formulation refines classic force-balance ideas to dynamical settings, provides a constructive link to time-dependent photon surfaces, and yields simple, observer-ready expressions for the evolution of the shadow. The framework offers a baseline for confronting time-variable horizon-scale imaging with dynamical inflow/outflow models.