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The twin paradox on the photon sphere

Marek A. Abramowicz·Stanislaw Bajtlik·Wlodek Kluzniak
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Abstract

We consider a new version of the twin paradox. The twins move along the same circular free photon path around the Schwarzschild center. In this case, despite their different velocities, all twins have the same non-zero acceleration. On the circular photon path, the symmetry between the twins situations is broken not by acceleration (as it is in the case of the classic twin paradox), but by the existence of an absolute standard of rest (timelike Killing vector). The twin with the higher velocity with respect to the standard of rest is younger on reunion. This closely resembles the case of periodic motions in compact (non-trivial topology) 3-D space recently considered in the context of the twin paradox by Barrow and Levin, except that there accelerations of all twins were equal to zero, and that in the case considered here, the 3-D space has trivial topology.

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Marek A. Abramowicz, Stanislaw Bajtlik, Wlodek Kluzniak. 2006-12-11. The twin paradox on the photon sphere. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.75.044101

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