Mass bends spacetime, deflecting light passing nearby. In LFM, photons follow null geodesics through the χ field — curved paths emerge from the lattice structure.
Eddington's expedition measured starlight deflection during a total solar eclipse. Result: 1.75" ± 0.16"
This was 2× the Newtonian prediction (0.87"), confirming Einstein's General Relativity and making headlines worldwide.
In LFM, light deflection arises from the χ field gradient. Near a mass, χ < χ₀, creating an effective refractive index n_eff = χ₀/χ. Light slows down (in coordinate time) where χ is depressed, causing the wavefront to bend toward the mass.
Deflection angle: θ = 4GM/bc² = 2 × ∫ (∇n_eff/n_eff) dl
Light bends toward the mass. For strong lensing (galaxies, clusters), multiple images or arcs are visible.
Gravitational lensing predicted by Einstein (1915), confirmed by Eddington (1919).
LFM derives the same 4GM/bc² from χ field refraction (GOV-01 + GOV-02).