Chapters
- History
of Gravitational Lensing
- Basics
of Gravitational Lensing
- Phenomena
of Gravitational Lensing
- Gravitational
Lensing as a tool to explore the
Universe
Abstract
According
to Einstein's General Theory of
Relativity, a ray of light is
attracted by a clump of matter. As
a consequence, a light ray changes
its direction from a straight line
by a very small amount when it
passes close to a cosmic object.
This effect is called
"gravitational lensing" and has
four consequences:
- Change
of position
- (De-)Magnification
- Change
of image shape
- Occasionally
multiple images
To
date, a number of different
lensing phenomena are known, e.g.
multiple quasars, giant luminous
arcs, microlensing (of stars and
quasars), weak lensing, and cosmic
shear. In this introductory talk
the history of gravitational
lensing is highlighted, and the
basic concepts and phenomena are
introduced. |
Bibliography
- Gravitational
Lensing in Astronomy
Wambsganss,
Joachim, Living Reviews
in Relativity 1 (1998), 12, URL:
relativity.livingreviews.org/Articles/lrr-1998-12
|
