Related papers: Prospects for probing strong gravity with a pulsar…
The discovery of the first pulsar in a binary star system, the Hulse--Taylor pulsar, 50 years ago opened up an entirely new field of experimental gravity. For the first time it was possible to investigate strong-field and radiative aspects…
According to the no-hair theorem, an astrophysical black hole is uniquely described by only two quantities, the mass and the spin. In this series of papers, we investigate a framework for testing the no-hair theorem with observations of…
The Kerr spacetime of spinning black holes is one of the most intriguing predictions of Einstein's theory of general relativity. The special role this spacetime plays in the theory of gravity is encapsulated in the no-hair theorem, which…
Results of precise measurements of the periods of pulsars discovered in the central regions of globular clusters are shown to be approaching the capabilities of testing the existence of a central black hole. For example, in the case of M 15…
Pulsars (PSRs) orbiting intermediate or supermassive black holes at the centre of galaxies and globular clusters are known as Extreme Mass Ratio Binaries (EMRBs) and have been identified as precision probes of strong-field GR. For…
The double pulsar system, PSR J0737-3039A/B, is unique in that both neutron stars are detectable as radio pulsars. This, combined with significantly higher mean orbital velocities and accelerations when compared to other binary pulsars,…
Binary systems containing at least one radiopulsar are excellent laboratories to test several aspects of fundamental physics like matter properties in conditions of extreme density and theories of gravitation like the Einstein's General…
All black holes (BHs) in nature are expected to be described by the Kerr vacuum solution of general relativity (GR). However, the Kerr BH interior contains several problematic features such as a Cauchy horizon, a curvature singularity, and…
Pulsars in close binary systems have provided some of the most stringent tests of strong-field gravity to date. The pulsar--white-dwarf binary system J1141-6545 is specifically interesting due to its gravitational asymmetry which makes it…
We examine how future gravitational-wave measurements from merging black holes (BHs) can be used to infer the shape of the black-hole mass function, with important implications for the study of star formation and evolution and the…
Black holes in General Relativity are very simple objects. This property, that goes under the name of "no-hair," has been refined in the last few decades and admits several versions. The simplicity of black holes makes them ideal testbeds…
Recent developments in the field of gravitational physics, including the emergence of gravitational wave astronomy, black hole images, and more accurate telescopes, have allowed us to probe the strong-field character of gravity in a novel…
Testing gravity theory in the strong field region becomes a reality due to the observations of gravitational waves and black hole shadows. In this paper, we discuss how to constrain the possible deviations of the classical general…
Observations of the precessing orbits of stars very near the massive black hole in the galactic center could provide measurements of the spin and quadrupole moment of the hole and thereby test the no-hair theorem of general relativity.…
Dwarf galaxies and globular clusters may contain intermediate mass black holes ($10^{3}$ to $10^{5}$ solar masses) in their cores. Estimates of ~$10^{3}$ neutron stars in the central parsec of the Galaxy and similar numbers in small…
Pulsars of very different types - isolated objects, and binaries with short- and long-period orbits, white-dwarf and neutron-star companions - provide the means to test both the predictions of general relativity and the viability of…
One of the most important issues in relativistic astrophysics is to explain the origin mechanisms of (ultra)high energy charged particle components of cosmic rays. Black holes (BHs) being huge reservoirs of (gravitational) energy can be…
Ultralight scalars emerge naturally in several motivated particle physics scenarios and are viable candidates for dark matter. While laboratory detection of such bosons is challenging, their existence in nature can be imprinted on…
Gravitational wave observations will be excellent tools for making precise measurements of processes that occur in very strong-field regions of spacetime. Extreme mass ratio systems, formed by the capture of a stellar mass body compact by a…
Gravitational waves are rapidly becoming a very reliable tool for testing alternative theories of gravity. In particular, features in the gravitational wave emission during black hole ringdown phase provide a direct probe of the spacetime…