Gravitational lensing by black holes: The case of Sgr A*

Journal Article · Tue Jan 14 00:00:00 EST 2014 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4861946· OSTI ID:22264062

Bozza, V. ^[1]

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1. Dipartimento di Fisica E.R. Caianiello, Università di Salerno, Italy. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Napoli (Italy)

The strong gravitational fields created by black holes dramatically affect the propagation of photons by bending their trajectories. Gravitational lensing thus stands as the main source of information on the space-time structure in such extreme regimes. We will review the theory and phenomenology of gravitational lensing by black holes, with the generation of higher order images and giant caustics by rotating black holes. We will then focus on Sgr A*, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, for which next-to-come technology will be able to reach resolutions of the order of the Schwarzschild radius and ultimately test the existence of an event horizon.

• OSTI ID: 22264062
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1577, Issue 1; Conference: 5. Leopoldo Garcia-Colin Mexican meeting on mathematical and experimental physics, Mexico City (Mexico), 9-13 Sep 2013; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
BLACK HOLES
GRAVITATIONAL FIELDS
GRAVITATIONAL LENSES
PHOTONS
SCHWARZSCHILD RADIUS