The Solar Plasma Limb is found to deflect Microwaves from Extra Galactic Radio Sources at Lowest Impact Parameter Corresponding to the Solar Plasma Limb

[Laurence Clark Crossen]

Article by Edward Dowdye= "Abstract:  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 ξ 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 inclosed in an analytical Gaussian sphere of radius R. The light bending rule of General Relativity predicts that impact parameters of ξ ≧ 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 ξ ≈ 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 ξ = 2R, ξ = 3R, ξ = 4R, etc., etc., at ξ = 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 that was obtained using the assumptions of General Relativity. The measurement on the gravitational deflection of microwaves at the Solar plasma limb by the researchers Lebach et al. (1995) and a number of other researchers used very-long-baseline-interferometer (VLBI) techniques and various types of synthesis telescopes. The measurements were all consistently observed to be at minimum impact parameters corresponding to the solar plasma limb of the sun. These measurements appeared to confirm the minimum energy path calculation for the deflection of microwaves propagating in the solar plasma limb reported in the Appendix of this work. "