[Paper Review] Is the 2008 NASA/ESA double Einstein ring actually a ringhole signature?

Pedro F. González-Dı́az|arXiv (Cornell University)|Jan 21, 2010

Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena1 references6 citations

TL;DR

The paper proposes that the 2008 Hubble Space Telescope observation of a double Einstein ring is more plausibly explained by a ringhole—a toroidally symmetric wormhole—than by the rare triple-galaxy alignment required for standard gravitational lensing. Unlike spherically symmetric wormholes, which produce single rings indistinguishable from Einstein rings, a ringhole's dual lensing effect from its inner and outer toroidal throats produces two distinct, concentric bright rings, a unique signature that cannot be mimicked by any known astronomical object or standard lensing scenario.

ABSTRACT

It is argued that whereas the Shatskiy single rings produced by the gravitational inner field of a spherically symmetric wormhole could not be used to identify the presence of such tunnelings in the universe or the existence of a parallel universe, the image which the inner gravitational field of a ringhole with toroidal symmetry would allow us to detect from a single luminous source is that of two concentric bright rings, and this is a signature that cannot be attributed to any other single astronomical object in whichever universe it may be placed. At the beginning of 2008 the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope revealed a never-before-seen phenomenon in space: a pair of glowing rings, one nestled inside the other like a bull's-eye pattern. It is also argued that such a discovery may well be attributed to the first astronomical ringhole found in the universe. After all, a ringhole is a perfectly valid solution to the Einstein equations and the stuff which makes it possible is becoming more and more familiar in cosmology.

Motivation & Objective

• To challenge the conventional interpretation of the 2008 Hubble double Einstein ring as a result of rare triple-galaxy alignment.
• To argue that a ringhole—a toroidally symmetric traversable wormhole—produces a distinctive two-concentric-ring lensing signature.
• To demonstrate that this two-ring pattern is uniquely identifiable and cannot be replicated by any other known astronomical object or lensing mechanism.
• To evaluate the physical plausibility of macroscopic ringholes in the context of modern cosmology, particularly with dark energy and accelerating expansion.

Proposed method

• Derives the metric for a static, toroidally symmetric ringhole using geometric parameters (a, b, r, φ₁, φ₂) and embedding in 3D Euclidean space.
• Analyzes lensing behavior by showing that rays near the outer surface flare outward (diverging lens), while those near the inner surface flare inward (converging lens), producing two distinct rings.
• Uses the line element (3) and its time-dependent variant (7) to model static and dynamic ringholes, including relative motion between mouths.
• Applies the lensing condition to a single luminous source behind the ringhole, showing that the image forms two concentric bright rings.
• Evaluates stability of macroscopic ringholes via quantum field theory and cosmic acceleration, arguing that phantom energy accretion and comoving expansion prevent quantum instabilities.
• Compares the observed Hubble image to theoretical predictions, favoring the ringhole model due to the resolution and clarity of the two rings.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 Can the 2008 Hubble double Einstein ring be distinguished from standard gravitational lensing by three aligned galaxies?
• RQ2 Does a ringhole with toroidal symmetry produce a lensing signature that is uniquely identifiable and not replicable by other astrophysical objects?
• RQ3 What is the lensing behavior of a ringhole’s inner and outer toroidal throats, and how does it produce two concentric bright rings?
• RQ4 Can macroscopic ringholes remain stable in an accelerating universe, avoiding quantum instabilities such as particle creation near chronology horizons?
• RQ5 How does relative motion between the ringhole’s mouths affect the lensing image, and what does this imply for the observed ring resolution?

Key findings

• A ringhole with toroidal symmetry produces a lensing image of two concentric bright rings due to diverging and converging lensing effects at its outer and inner surfaces, respectively.
• This two-ring signature is unique and cannot be reproduced by any other known astronomical object, including spherically symmetric wormholes or massive galaxies.
• The observed Hubble image of SDSSJ0946+1006 shows well-resolved, concentric rings consistent with a static ringhole in our universe, not a time-machine or dynamic system.
• Relative motion between the ringhole’s mouths would blur the rings into a glowing background, but the observed clarity rules out such motion, supporting a static configuration.
• Macroscopic ringholes can be stabilized by the accelerating expansion of the universe and phantom energy accretion, which prevent quantum instabilities that would otherwise destroy them.
• The ringhole model offers a more plausible explanation than the highly improbable triple-galaxy alignment required for the double Einstein ring under standard lensing.