Visualization of Four-Dimensional Spacetimes



Visualization of the Chang-Refsdal Lens


lensingThis video presents the visualization of gravitational lensing, cf. Chapter 10 of the thesis. The deflecting body is a Chang-Refdal lens. The Chang-Refdal lens is a Schwarzschild lens with a quadrupole distortion, cf. Sect. B.2 of the thesis.

The first sequence shows the image of a moving source under the influence of the gravitational lens. The second sequence shows the same situation in the lens plane. Both the source and the caustic structure are displayed. In the third sequence, the image and the source plane are visible simultaneously. The last sequence shows the two-dimensional caustic structure. The caustic was numerically generated by means of the caustic finder. Rendering is based on shear-warp factorization.


Length: 1:07 min