Year: 2016
Findings show that the gravitational deflection of electromagnetic waves in the microwave frequency spectrum are severely impact parameter dependent at the plasma limb of the sun. By definition the impact parameter epsilon is the nearest point of approach of a given ray of light or a ray of microwaves to the center of the gravitating mass M that is enclosed in an analytical Gaussian sphere of radius R. The light bending rule of General Relativity predicts that impact parameters of epsilon$ approximately R for gravitationally bent rays of light and microwaves should occur in empty vacuum space as well as in the plasma limb of the sun, where R is the radius of the analytical Gaussian sphere that encloses the gravitating mass M of the sun. The past century of astrophysical observations show that the bulk of gravitational light bending effects has been observed primarily at the plasma limb of the sun, namely, at impact parameters of epsilon approximately R. With current technical means in Astrophysics, the gravitational light bending effect should be an easily observable effect for impact parameters corresponding to several solar radii above the plasma limb of the sun, namely, at epsilon = 2R, epsilon = 3R, epsilon = 4R, etc., etc., at epsilon = nR, for analytical Gaussian spheres of several solar radii R. The corresponding effects of gravitational deflection should be 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, ..., 1/n times 1.752 arcsec observed at the solar plasma limb. Of course, this assumes the light bending rule of General Relativity applies to all empty vacuum space above the surface of the sun as well as in the plasma limb. Findings show that the plasma atmosphere of the sun represents an indirect interaction between the gravitational gradient field of the sun and the microwaves from the extra galactic radio pulsar sources. A minimum energy path calculation, supporting this argument, leads to a derivation of the very same light bending equation obtained from the assumptions of General Relativity. This result was confirmed by a measurement on the gravitational deflection of microwaves at the Solar plasma limb by Lebach. (1995), who used a very-long-baseline-interferometer (VLBI) technique. The researchers used extra galactic radio pulsar sources to determine the gravitational deflection of the microwaves from these sources at the solar plasma limb, obtaining a results to within 0.9998 +/- 0.0008 times 1.752 arcsec. PACS: 95.30Sf, 04.25.dg, 52/25/Qt. 52.40.Db