Abstract
A simple three-dimensional approach to calculate the probability of observing gravitational lensing, caused by a chance superposition of lens and source, is presented. The formalism is then used to estimate the lensing probabilities in a number of astrophysical situations. As indicated in earlier works, we find that the chance of random gravitational lensing being detected locally is small, and the chance at extra-galactic distances is large.
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Nemiroff, R.J. Random gravitational lensing. Astrophys Space Sci 123, 381–387 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00653957
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00653957