Existence of blueshifts in quasi-spherical Szekeres spacetimes

Abstract

In Lema\^ıtre -- Tolman (L--T) models, light rays emitted \textit{radially} at the Big Bang (BB) at such radial coordinates $r$ where the bang-time function $t_B(r)$ has $\dril {t_B} r \neq 0$ reach every observer with \textit{infinite blueshift}, $z = -1$. Consequently, there exist rays, emitted soon after the BB, that will reach later observers with finite blueshift ($-1 < z < 0$). But in spacetimes without symmetry there are no radial directions. The question thus arises whether blueshifts can exist at all in the Szekeres models that contain L--T as a limit, but in general have no symmetry. The aim of the present paper is to show that strong blueshifts can be generated in quasi-spherical Szekeres (QSS) models. It is shown that in an axially symmetric QSS model, infinite blueshift can appear only on axial rays, which intersect every space orthogonal to the dust flow on the symmetry axis. In an exemplary QSS model it is numerically shown that if such a ray is emitted from the Big Bang where $\dril {t_B} r \neq 0$, then indeed observers see it with $z \approx -1$. Rays emitted shortly after the BB and running close to the symmetry axis will reach the observers with a strong blueshift, too. Then, in a toy QSS model that has no symmetry, it was shown by numerical calculations that two null lines exist such that rays in their vicinity have redshift profiles similar to those in a vicinity of the axial rays in the axially symmetric case. This indicates that rays generating infinite blueshifts exist in general QSS spacetimes and are concentrated around two directions.