MUT v5.8.17: Supplement XIV: Gravitational Lensing as a Frequency Gradient Refraction

This supplement presents a deterministic reinterpretation of gravitational lensing within the MUT v5.8 framework. Light deflection near stellar masses, traditionally attributed to curved spacetime, is explained as the refraction of the Effective Background Scalar Field flux (ΦA) through localized frequency gradients induced by stellar ΦA density. Using the scalar field scaling factor � and the constant �, the calculated deflection angle near the Sun reproduces the classical 1.75 arcseconds prediction, linking observational gravitational lensing to the fundamental ΦA substrate. This work unifies optical refraction concepts with cosmic-scale gravitational phenomena, providing a causal, deterministic explanation for lensing effects without invoking curved spacetime.