Testing General Relativity with black hole X-ray data: a progress report

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent progress in testing Einstein's General Relativity in the strong field regime using black hole X-ray data, highlighting new observational techniques and findings over the past five years.

Contribution

It presents a comprehensive review of methods and results from Fudan University's group on testing General Relativity with black hole X-ray observations.

Findings

Advances in observational techniques for black hole X-ray data

Evidence supporting Einstein's theory in strong gravity regimes

Identification of potential deviations or constraints on alternative theories

Abstract

Einstein's theory of General Relativity is one of the pillars of modern physics. For decades, the theory has been mainly tested in the weak field regime with experiments in the Solar System and observations of binary pulsars. Thanks to a new generation of observational facilities, the past 5 years have seen remarkable changes in this field and there are now numerous efforts for testing General Relativity in the strong field regime with black holes and neutron stars using different techniques. Here I will review the work of my group at Fudan University devoted to test General Relativity with black hole X-ray data.