Dymnikova-Schwinger quantum-corrected slowly rotating wormholes: Photon and spinning particle dynamics

Abstract

This work studies light propagation near slowly rotating traversable wormholes supported by a quantum-inspired matter source. The model is based on the Dymnikova density profile, viewed as a gravitational analogue of the Schwinger mechanism, which yields a smooth, non-singular core. Quantum effects are included through the generalized uncertainty principle (GUP), introducing a minimal length scale while preserving regularity. Within a stationary and axisymmetric framework, we construct rotating wormhole solutions sustained by the GUP-corrected Dymnikova-Schwinger profile. The geometry satisfies key conditions such as asymptotic flatness and the flare-out requirement, and incorporates rotational features like frame dragging. We then examine photon motion via null geodesics. Both rotation and quantum corrections modify the photon sphere structure, with rotation producing a splitting between co-rotating and counter-rotating trajectories. This results in small asymmetries in photon paths and the shadow. These results provide a novel and consistent framework to probe quantum-gravity imprints in strong-field optics.

Figures (3)

• Figure 1: The three-dimensional embedding diagrams of the GUP-corrected Dymnikova-Schwinger wormhole geometry are shown for the representative parameter choices $(r_0,\alpha) = (0.9,0.01), (1.1,0.02), (1.3,0.03)$, with the scale parameter fixed at $a=0.7$. The geometry is constructed from the shape function $b(r)=\frac{r_0 f(r)}{f(r_0)}, \quad f(r)=1-e^{-r^3/a^3}+\frac{\alpha}{a^2}\mathrm{Ei}(-r^3/a^3),$ where the exponential-integral term represents the GUP correction to the original Dymnikova-Schwinger profile. In each panel, the throat is positioned at $z=0$, and both the upper and lower branches are displayed to show the complete symmetric extension of the spacetime. As the throat radius $r_0$ increases, the minimum radius becomes wider, while larger values of the GUP parameter $\alpha$ subtly influence the flaring-out behavior. Together, these effects illustrate how quantum-gravity corrections modify the overall structure of the wormhole.
• Figure 2: Photon circular orbits around a rotating wormhole are shown for three different trigonometric lapse profiles: Oscillatory, Flat, and Steep. The metric functions are controlled by the parameters $\Phi_0 = 0.005$, $r_0 = 0.9$, and $\theta = 0.1$, while rotation is introduced through the frame-dragging term $\omega(r)=2J/r^3$. The photon-sphere radius in each case is determined numerically from the corresponding extremum condition. In every panel, solid curves represent prograde motion and dashed curves represent retrograde motion for the spin values $J = 0.05, 0.15, 0.25, 0.35, 0.5,$ and $0.7$. The arrows mark the direction of propagation. As the spin increases, the gap between the prograde and retrograde rings steadily widens, making the frame-dragging effect clearly visible. At the same time, the overall size and distortion of the photon rings depend on the chosen lapse profile, showing how the redshift structure of the spacetime reshapes the observable photon trajectories.
• Figure 3: Photon-sphere structure for a rotating wormhole with three trigonometric lapse profiles: Oscillatory, Flat, and Steep, using $\Phi_0 = 0.005$, $r_0 = 0.9$, and $\theta = 0.1$. Rotation is introduced through the frame-dragging term $\omega(r)=2J/r^3$, and the photon-sphere radius is obtained numerically from the corresponding extremum condition for each spin value. In every panel, solid curves mark the prograde photon orbit while dashed curves indicate the retrograde one for $J = 0.05, 0.15, 0.25, 0.35, 0.5,$ and $0.7$. The shaded region between them highlights the allowed photon-sphere domain, making the separation between co-rotating and counter-rotating trajectories visually clear. As the spin increases, the splitting between the two radii becomes more pronounced, directly reflecting the strength of frame dragging. The overall size and thickness of the shaded regions vary from one lapse profile to another, showing how the redshift behavior of the spacetime reshapes the photon-sphere structure.