Strong field tests of gravity with electromagnetic and gravitational waves

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent methods using electromagnetic and gravitational wave observations to test Einstein's theory of gravity in the strong-field regime, aiming to identify deviations or limitations of GR.

Contribution

The paper discusses how gravitational waves, X-rays, and black hole shadows are used to constrain theory-agnostic deviations from general relativity.

Findings

Constraints on deviations from GR using gravitational wave data

Limits on alternative gravity theories from X-ray observations

Black hole shadow measurements testing strong-field gravity

Abstract

For nearly a century, Einstein's theory of gravity has been the standard theory for describing gravitational phenomena in our universe. Along with its successes, limitations of the theory from theoretical (e.g., singularities) and observational (e.g., dark matter/energy) perspectives have appeared. This has led to proposals that modify or supersede Einstein's theory, and testing these theories against data, especially in the strong-field regime, has emerged as a new paradigm in physics in recent years. Along with the completely new avenue of gravitational waves, new and improved techniques based on electromagnetic waves are being used to test general relativity (GR) ever more stringently. As the realm beyond GR is unknown, a popular approach is to look for theory-agnostic deviations from GR/predictions of GR. Here I describe how I have used gravitational waves, X-rays, and black hole shadows to put constraints on some of these theory-agnostic deviations.