Related papers: Testing General Relativity with Black Hole X-Ray D…
The direct detection of gravitational waves (GW) from merging binary black holes and neutron stars mark the beginning of a new era in gravitational physics, and it brings forth new opportunities to test theories of gravity. To this end, it…
Recent observations with Chandra and XMM-Newton, aided by broad-band spectral coverage from RXTE, have revealed skewed relativistic iron emission lines in stellar-mass Galactic black hole systems. Such systems are excellent laboratories for…
Einstein's theory of general relativity was proposed over 100 years ago and has successfully passed a large number of observational tests in the weak field regime. However, the strong field regime is largely unexplored, and there are many…
Einstein-dilaton-Gauss-Bonnet gravity is a theoretically well-motivated alternative theory of gravity emerging as a low-energy 4-dimensional model from heterotic string theory. Its rotating black hole solutions are known numerically and can…
We review the likely population, observational properties, and broad implications of stellar-mass black holes and ultraluminous x-ray sources. We focus on the clear empirical rules connecting accretion and outflow that have been established…
We consider the observation of stellar-mass black holes binaries with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Preliminary results based on Fisher information matrix analyses have suggested that gravitational waves from those sources…
Recently, we showed that the possibility of an interstellar mission to the closest black hole, while highly speculative and extremely challenging, is not completely unrealistic within the next few decades. Since such a mission might last…
The fluctuating brightness of cosmic X-ray sources, particularly accreting black holes and neutron star systems, has enabled enormous progress in understanding the physics of turbulent accretion flows, the behaviour of matter on the…
Detections of gravitational waves emitted by binary black holes allow for tests of General Relativity in the strong-field regime. In particular, deviations from General Relativity can be observed by comparing incoming signals to waveform…
We review the tests of general relativity that will become possible with space-based gravitational-wave detectors operating in the ~0.01mHz - 1Hz low-frequency band. The fundamental aspects of gravitation that can be tested include the…
There is strong evidence for the existence of black holes(BHs) in some X-ray binaries and most galatic nuclei, based on different measuremental approaches, but black holes aren't finally identified for the lack of very firm observational…
A fundamental goal of modern-day astrophysics is to understand the connection between supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth and galaxy evolution. Merging galaxies offer one of the most dramatic channels for galaxy evolution known, capable…
We present here a summary of the scientific goals behind the Gravity and Extreme Magnetism SMEX (GEMS) X-ray polarimetry mission's black hole (BH) observing program. The primary targets can be divided into two classes: stellar-mass galactic…
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…
Superradiance provides a unique opportunity for investigating dark sectors as well as primordial black holes, which themselves are candidates for dark matter over a wide mass range. Using axion-like particles as an example, we show that…
The horizon-scale images of black holes obtained with the Event Horizon Telescope have provided new probes of their metrics and tests of General Relativity. The images are characterized by a bright, near circular ring from the…
Extreme-mass-ratio inspirals consist of binary systems of compact objects, with orders of magnitude differences in their masses, in the regime where the dynamics are driven by gravitational wave emission. The unique nature of…
General Relativity is a hugely successful description of gravitation. However, both theory and observations suggest that General Relativity might have significant classical and quantum corrections in the Strong Gravity regime. Testing the…
We use a recently released SDSS catalog of X-ray emitting AGNs in conjunction with the FIRST 20cm radio survey to investigate the black hole fundamental plane relationship between the 1.4GHz radio luminosity ($L_r$), 0.1-2.4 keV X-ray…
Black holes have often provided profound insights into the nature of gravity and the structure of space-time. The study of the mathematical properties of black objects is a major research theme of contemporary theoretical physics. This…