can gravity be used to break white light into a prism?

Question

I meant spectrum and not prism. Sorry for the confusion, but it was late when I typed the question. :) "Can gravity break white light into a spectrum?"

I meant spectrum and not prism. Sorry for the confusion, but it was late when I typed the question. :) "Can gravity break white light into its spectrum?"

Answer 1

Gravity can move bend and obsorb light ie. black hole

Answer 2

Gravity has been shown to 'bend' a beam of light. Today, scientists would describe this by saying that a gravitational mass 'warps' space-time so that the path of a beam of light bends. However, if someone discovered that the amount of bending depended on the frequency (color) of the light, it would cause an intense flurry of scientific interest. First, to verify if it was true. Second, to figure out why. Even the first part is a problem because the bending is so diffucult to measure.

Having said that, there's an even more intriquing possibility. Richard Feynman discussed red-shift of light in a gravitational field. So perhaps even coherent light (same frequency, in phase) bending around a varying gravitational field would experience varying degrees of red-shift, resulting in a 'spectrum' like that produced by a prism, but with an extremely small range.

Answer 3

This is by far one of the best questions I've seen on here. I do not believe a large degree of chromatic aberration (spectum splitting) would occure from gravitational lensing, though I could be very wrong.

It's thought that gravitational lensing is the result of the gravity bending space, not actually acting on the "mass" of the photon. In other words, the photon thinks it's going straight.

The light may pass through gases that may cause some chromatic aberration though...

I'd be interested to hear from someone more educated on the matter.

Answer 4

you mean break light into a spectrum, i.e. is the bending of light due to a gravitational well wavelength dependent?
Good question.
If the medium in which it's travelling is dispersive (as glass is for instance) then I reckon it is. Space is ever so slightly dispersive so I think this will occur. Whether it's measurable is another matter... Either way it's not going to be too aparent.
I'd have to check with an astrophysicist to be sure though.

Answer 5

in accordance to Einstein's accepted idea of Relativity, gravity does bend mild. This has been shown through staring on the bending of starlight around the solar in 1919. See the reference less than. perchance that is plausible to disperse the distinct wavelengths with some unusual new idea and device like you propose.