The Fermat principle in general relativity and applications

In this paper we use a general version of Fermat's principle for light rays in general relativity and a curve shortening method to write the Morse relations for light rays joining an event with a smooth timelike curve in a Lorentzian manifold with boundary. The Morse relations are obtained under the most general assumptions and one can apply them to have a mathematical description of the gravitational lens effect in a very general context. Moreover, Morse relations can be used to check if existing models are corrected. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.