Particle motion in a photon gas: friction matters

The motion of a particle in the Tolman metric generated by a photon gas source is discussed. Both the case of geodesic motion and motion with nonzero friction, due to photon scattering effects, are analyzed. In the Minkowski limit, the particle moves along a straight line segment with a decelerated motion, reaching the endpoint at zero speed. The curved case shows a qualitatively different behavior; the geodesic motion consists of periodic orbits, confined within a specific radial interval. Under the effect of frictional drag, this radial interval closes up in time and in all our numerical simulations the particle ends up in the singularity at the center.