| Term: | Weak gravitational lensing |
| Definition: |
A gravitational bending of light by structures in the Universe that distorts the images of distant galaxies. The distortion allows the distribution of dark matter and its evolution with time to be measured, thereby probing the influence of dark energy on the growth of structures. Weak gravitational lensing is generally difficult to identify in individual images, in contrast to strong gravitational lensing. |