Related papers: Photometric imaging with the solar gravitational l…
We present an analysis of high-resolution imaging of an exoplanet by a meter-class telescope positioned at a real image of the exoplanet created by the solar gravity lens. We assume an exoplanet viewed in full phase and a simple…
We present initial results of an ongoing engineering study on the feasibility of a space mission to the focal region of the solar gravitational lens (SGL). The mission goal is to conduct exoplanet imaging operations at heliocentric…
We continue our study of the optical properties of the solar gravitational lens (SGL). Taking the next step beyond representing it as an idealized monopole, we now characterize the gravitational field of the Sun using an infinite series of…
The prospect of combining integral field spectroscopy with the solar gravitational lens (SGL) to spectrally and spatially resolve the surfaces and atmospheres of extrasolar planets is investigated. The properties of hyperbolic orbits…
We study the optical properties of the solar gravitational lens (SGL) under the combined influence of the static spherically symmetric gravitational field of the Sun---modeled within the first post-Newtonian approximation of the general…
It is well known that the solar gravitational field can be considered as a telescope with a prime focus at locations beyond 550 au. In this work we present a new derivation of the wave-optical properties of the system, by adapting the…
Strong gravitational lensing at the galaxy scale is a valuable tool for various applications in astrophysics and cosmology. The primary uses of galaxy-scale lensing are to study elliptical galaxies' mass structure and evolution, constrain…
We investigate the possibility of determining the mass distribution of a gravitational lens via lensing observations. We consider an extended, compact gravitational lens, representing its static external gravitational potential via an…
We have surveyed all conventional methods proposed or conceivable for obtaining resolved images of an Earth-like exoplanet. Generating a 10 x 10 pixel map of a 1 R_E world at 10 pc demands ~0.85 uas angular resolution and photon-collection…
Gravitational lensing deals with general-relativistic effects in the propagation of electromagnetic radiation. We consider wavelength-dependent contributions in case of a (micro)lensing of an extended Gaussian source by a point mass under…
Strong gravitational lensing (SGL) has provided an important tool for probing galaxies and cosmology. In this paper, we use the SGL data to constrain the holographic dark energy model, as well as models that have the same parameter number,…
We propose that some of the high-latitude unidentified EGRET gamma-ray sources could be the result of gravitational lensing amplification of the innermost regions of distant, faint, active galactic nuclei. These objects have gamma-ray…
We have worked out simple analytical formulae that accurately approximate the relationship between the position of the source with respect to the lens center and the amplification of the images, hence the lens cross section, for realistic…
We present explicit expressions for the optical scalars and the deection angle in terms of the energymomentum tensor components of matter distributions. Our work generalizes standard references in the literature where normally stringent…
From the nature of dark matter to the rate of expansion of our Universe, observations of distant galaxies distorted through strong gravitational lensing have the potential to answer some of the major open questions in astrophysics. Modeling…
In the last decade the detection of individual massive dark matter sub-halos has been possible using potential correction formalism in strong gravitational lens imaging. Here we propose a statistical formalism to relate strong gravitational…
We propose a novel telescope concept based on Earth's gravitational lensing effect, optimized for the detection of distant dark matter sources, particularly axion-like particles (ALPs). When a unidirectional flux of dark matter passes…
The gravitational field of the sun will focus light from a distant source to a focal point at a minimal distance of 550 Astronomical Units from the sun. A proposed mission to this gravitational focus could use the sun as a very large lens,…
In recent years, there has been increasing recognition of the potential of the galactic center as a probe of general relativity in the strong field. There is almost certainly a black hole at Sgr A* in the galactic center, and this would…
The transparent Sun is modeled as a spherically symmetric and centrally condensed gravitational lens using recent Standard Solar Model (SSM) data. The Sun's minimum focal length is computed to a refined accuracy of 23.5 +/- 0.1 AU, just…