We use the material medium approach to derive the refractive index that can be associated with the gravitational field of a compact object with a quadrupole moment. We consider both a static deformation and a stationary rotation of the gravitational source as the source of the quadrupole. We show that up to the first order in the quadrupole, the refractive indices of both configurations are equivalent such that from the point of view of refraction, a mimicking effect can occur. This also holds at the level of the deflection angle. We argue that it is possible to use the refractive indices and the parameters of the trajectories of light rays that propagate in a gravitational field to determine the physical parameters of the source.

We investigate a spherically symmetric exact solution of Einstein’s gravity with cosmological constant in (2 + 1) dimensions, non-minimally coupled to a scalar field. The solution describes the gravitational field of a black hole, which is free of curvature singularities in the entire spacetime. We use the formalism of geometrothermodynamics to investigate the geometric properties of the corresponding space of equilibrium states and find their interpretation from the point of view of thermodynamics. It turns out that, as a result of the presence of thermodynamic interaction, the space of equilibrium states is curved with two possible configurations, which depend on the value of a coupling constant. In the first case, the equilibrium space is completely regular, corresponding to a stable thermodynamic system. The second case is characterized by the presence of two curvature singularities, which are shown to correspond to locations where the system undergoes two different phase transitions, one due to the breakdown of the thermodynamic stability condition and the second one due to the presence of a divergence at the level of the response functions.

We compute the weak bending angle of light within generalised Born–Infeld electrodynamics as it passes through the equatorial plane of a magnetic dipole. We start by considering the refractive index associated with the dipole within generalised Born–Infeld electrodynamics. Then, we calculate the Gaussian optical curvature based on these refractive indices. Using the Gauss–Bonnet theorem, we derive a formula to quantify the deflection angle in the presence of a strong magnetic field from a dipole. Our results align with results obtained through traditional geometric optics techniques, underscoring the importance of the Gauss–Bonnet theorem as a versatile tool for solving intricate problems in modern theoretical research. We apply our theoretical deflection angle formula to estimate the light bending in magnetars listed in the McGill catalogue, providing insights into the behaviour of light in environments with strong magnetic fields.

In this article, we provide a review of the current state of the research on the nonlinear electrodynamics of vacuum in the presence of strong electromagnetic fields. We discuss the parametrized post-Maxwellian formalism that can be facilitate calculations in the weak electromagnetic field approximation. The post-Maxwellian parameters are a set of parameters used in non-linear electrodynamics to describe the behavior of electromagnetic fields in the presence of strong fields. We also discuss the equations for the electromagnetic field in the Born-Infeld electrodynamics and in non-linear Heisenberg-Euler electrodynamics, as well as the exact solution in the form of a plane elliptically polarized wave. We represent the Lagrangian of nonlinear electrodynamics in vacuum in detail. We demonstrate that the Lagrangian can be expressed as a series of integer powers of invariants J1 and J2, which allows for the identification of nonlinear electrodynamics that are consistent with experiments carried out in a weak electromagnetic field.