Light propagation around a Kerr-like black hole immersed in an inhomogeneous anisotropic plasma in Rastall gravity: analytical solutions to the equations of motion

In this paper, we explore the behavior of light ray trajectories in the exterior geometry of a rotating black hole within the Rastall theory of gravity, which is surrounded by an inhomogeneous anisotropic electronic cold plasma. By specifying the plasma’s frequency profile, we derive fully analytical solutions for the temporal evolution of spacetime coordinates using elliptic integrals and Jacobi elliptic functions. These solutions illustrate various possible orbits. Throughout the study, we compare the results with those in the vacuum case, emphasizing the influence of plasma. Additionally, we utilize the analytical solutions to establish the lens equation for the considered spacetime. The investigation also addresses the significance of spherical photon orbits on critical trajectories, by presenting several examples.