Gravitational lens 2026-10-14
A gravitational lens is a foreground distribution of matter whose gravitational field deflects light from a background source. Its projected surface mass density determines the mapping in the thin-lens approximation. The lens is the deflecting object; gravitational lensing is the resulting optical process.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 iii Paper 67 4 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For the singular isothermal sphere, integrate its projected surface mass density inside a circle of proper radius :With this gives the reduced deflection magnitudeindependent of . Hence the singular isothermal sphere lens hasThe spherical three-dimensional mass would give the wrong coefficient here; the thin gravitational lens equation needs the projected cylindrical mass.