Direct Measurements of Black Hole Charge with Future Astrometrical Missions

Recently, Zakharov et al. (2005a, New Astron., 10, 479) considered the possibility of evaluating the spin parameter and the inclination angle for Kerr black holes in nearby galactic centers by using future advanced astrometrical instruments. A similar approach which uses the characteristic properties of gravitational retro-lensing images can be followed to measure the charge of a Reissner-Nordstrom black hole. Indeed, in spite of the fact that their formation might be problematic, charged black holes are objects of intensive investigations. From a theoretical point of view, it is well-known that a black hole is described by only three parameters, namely, its mass M , angular momentum J , and charge Q . Therefore, it would be important to have a method for measuring all these parameters, preferably by independent model of any. In this paper, we propose a procedure to measure the black hole charge by using the size of the retro-lensing images that can be revealed by future astrometrical missions. A discussion of the Kerr-Newmann black hole case is also offered.