Deflection of light by the Sun as refraction in the gravity polarized vacuum

It is shown that the deflection of star light passing by the Sun, which is allegedly explainable only by general relativity, can be understood quantitatively as a quasi-classical effect of light refraction in the vacuum polarized by the Sun's gravitational field. The theory of the dielectric polarization of the vacuum proposed previously is further developed for the corresponding effect of the polarization of the vacuum in a gravitational field. The resulting refractive index of the vacuum in the presence of a gravitational field gives for the deflection of light by the Sun an angle |δθ| = 1.77″, which is in good agreement with the experimental observations and the result of general relativity. From the theory presented, it can also be deduced that the velocity of a horizontal light beam at 1000 km above ground level of the Earth has a velocity deficit −δc = 5.73cm/s in comparison to the light velocity on the ground.