Challenging Einstein: Gravitational Lensing as a Test of General Relativity

摘要

The phenomenon of gravitational lensing, the deflection of light by gravitational fields, has grown from curiosity into the realm of precision science. In fact, this effect was one of the main methods initially used to verify Einstein's theory of general relativity. In this paper, we discuss the historical development of the field and simulations of optical solar-eclipse observations that illustrate the difficulty of the method. Our simulations predict the change in the position of the stars in the upcoming 2012 eclipse that will be visible during totality from Cairns, Australia. We have found also that the largest deflection angle of background starlight in the near future will occur during the 2019 eclipse, marking 100 years since Eddington's initial observations. This will provide an interesting opportunity to potentially reproduce Eddington's observations on the centennial anniversary of his historic eclipse expedition.