Odyssey: a new GPU-based ray-tracing code for the Kerr Spacetime

We present a new ray-tracing code, "Odyssey", for the Kerr spacetime accelerated by the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). Taking advantage of the ability of nVidia graphic cards to evaluate trajectories of a large amount of photon simultaneously, the code is two orders of magnitude as fast as the previous CPU-based code corresponding to the speed of few nanoseconds per photon per time step. In the light of the Graphic User Interface (GUI) powered by the GPU-enhanced 2D/3D displaying technique, DirectX, it is feasible for users to manipulate diverse results such as rotating and zooming in/out the trajectories of photon instantly near the black hole. Thus the Odyssey can serve as a tool not only for scientific but also for the educational purpose. We discuss possible applications in detail in light of several results such as the shape of the silhouette of a black hole, the shape of a hot spot orbiting a black hole, and 3D photon trajectories.