Modeling Gravitational Lensing: Analyzing Light Deflection Through a Curved Atmospheric Layer

This article explores light deflection and magnification due to variations in the refractive index, linking laboratory experiments to astrophysical lensing effects. A novel experiment with a curved smoke layer demonstrates how a spatially varying refractive index can bend and subtly magnify a Poisson spot, providing an analogy to astrophysical lensing. This principle extends to refractive index gradients in the solar chromosphere, which differentially bends starlight, causing observable distortions in celestial object’s apparent size and shape. The effects of linear and exponential refractive index profiles on light propagation are analyzed, incorporating effective refractive indices that account for quantum electrodynamic (QED) vacuum effects and frequency-dependent spatial distortions. Unlike gravitational lensing, which results from spacetime curvature, these optical distortions arise purely from refraction within media with refractive index gradients. The findings offer new insights into light propagation and image formation in complex refractive environments, with implications for advanced optical systems and astrophysical observations.