Related papers: Constraining the Johannsen deformation parameter $…
We construct a relativistic reflection model in a non-Kerr spacetime in which, depending on the value of the deformation parameter of the metric, there are black hole solutions with spin parameter $|a_*| > 1$. We apply our model to fit…
In a previous paper, one of us has described a code to compute the thermal spectrum of geometrically thin and optically thick accretion disks around generic stationary and axisymmetric black holes, which are not necessarily of the Kerr…
We investigate analytically gravitational lensing by charged, stationary, axially symmetric Kerr-Sen dilaton-axion black hole in the weak deflection limit. Approximate solutions to the lightlike equations of motion are present up to and…
We present a time-averaged spectral analysis of the 2024 XRISM observation of the narrow-line Seyfert-1 galaxy MCG--6-30-15, taken contemporaneously with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR. Our analysis leverages a unique combination of broadband and…
The Galactic Black hole candidate XTE J1752-223 was observed during the decay of its 2009 outburst with the Suzaku and XMM-Newton observatories. The observed spectra are consistent with the source being in the ''intermediate`` and…
In a previous paper, we tried to test the Kerr nature of the stellar-mass black hole in GRS 1915+105 by analyzing NuSTAR data of 2012 with our reflection model RELXILL_NK. We found that the choice of the intensity profile of the reflection…
Theoretical studies suggest that gravitational collapse can form either a black hole or a visible (naked) singularity. Identifying observational signatures that distinguish these two types of collapsed objects is a holy grail of physics.…
Ark 564 (z=0.0247) is an X-ray-bright NLS1. By using advanced X-ray timing techniques, an excess of "delayed" emission in the hard X-ray band (4-7.5 keV) following about 1000 seconds after "flaring" light in the soft X-ray band (0.4-1 keV)…
We use the continued fraction method to determine the eigenfrequencies associated with a scalar field around a Kerr-like black hole. The Kerr-like metric considered in this article is a subclass of the general parametrization of…
In the Galaxy, extremely large mass-ratio inspirals(X-MRIs) composed of brown dwarfs and the massive black hole at the Galactic Center are expected to be promising gravitational wave sources for space-borne detectors. In this work, we…
The Johannsen-Psaltis spacetime describes a rotating black hole with parametric deviations from the Kerr metric. By construction this spacetime explicitly violates the no-hair theorems. Rotating black hole solutions in any modified theory…
Astrophysical black hole candidates are thought to be the Kerr black holes predicted by General Relativity, as these objects cannot be explained otherwise without introducing new physics. However, there is no observational evidence that the…
We present an analytical treatment of gravitational lensing by a Kerr black hole in the weak deflection limit. Lightlike geodesics are expanded as a Taylor series up to and including third-order terms in m/b and a/b, where m is the black…
The models currently used for the analysis of the reflection spectra of black holes usually assume a disk with constant ionization and electron density. However, there is some debate on the impact of these assumptions on the estimate of the…
The ringdown phase of a binary black hole merger is modelled by the quasi-normal modes of a perturbed Kerr black hole. According to the black hole no-hair theorem, the emitted ringdown spectra are constrained by the mass and spin of the…
The fundamental process of detecting and examining the polarization modes of gravitational waves plays a pivotal role in enhancing our grasp on the precise mechanisms behind their generation. A thorough investigation is essential for…
We construct thought experiments involving the perturbations of Kerr-Newman black holes by neutral test fields to evaluate the validity of the weak form of the cosmic censorship conjecture. We first show that neglecting backreaction…
We report results obtained from six XMM-Newton observations of the Seyfert galaxy 1H 0419-577. Here we show that the X-ray spectrum and variability are well described by a two-component model comprising a power law with constant spectral…
Observations of the continuum spectrum emitted by accretion disks around black holes allows us to infer their properties, including possibly whether black holes are described by the Kerr metric. Some modified gravity theories do not admit…
The analysis of the properties of the X-ray radiation emitted from geometrically thin accretion disks around black holes can be a powerful tool to test General Relativity in the strong field regime. This chapter reviews the state-of-the-art…