  We study photon geodesics in topological solitons that have the same
asymptotic properties as Schwarzschild black holes. These are coherent states
in string theory corresponding to pure deformations of spacetime through the
dynamics of compact extra dimensions. We compare these solutions with
Schwarzschild black holes by computing null geodesics, deriving Lyapunov
exponents, and imaging their geometries as seen by a distant observer. We show
that topological solitons are remarkably similar to black holes in apparent
size and scattering properties, while being smooth and horizonless. Incoming
photons experience very high redshift, inducing phenomenological horizon-like
behaviors from the point of view of photon scattering. Thus, they provide a
compelling case for real-world gravitational solitons and topological
alternatives to black holes from string theory.
