arXiv subjects

Swarnim Shashank

Publications and source records attributed to Swarnim Shashank.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Improved Constraints on Non-Kerr Deviations from Binary Black Hole Inspirals Using GWTC-4 Data

Gravitational wave (GW) observations of binary black hole (BBH) mergers provide a unique opportunity to probe the nature of spacetime in the strong-field and dynamical regime. We present updated constraints on deviations from the Kerr metric using BBH inspirals from the fourth Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog (GWTC-4). Building on our previous GWTC-3 analysis, we employ a theory-agnostic framework in which non-Kerr effects of the Johannsen metric are incorporated as parametrized corrections to the GW phase within the post-Newtonian framework. We perform Bayesian parameter estimation on a selected subset of GWTC-4 events to constrain the deformation parameters $\alpha_{13}$ and $\epsilon_3$, yielding significantly tighter bounds compared to earlier results. When varied individually, the deformation parameters are found to be consistent with zero, providing no evidence for departures from the Kerr geometry. Our results reinforce the validity of General Relativity, particularly the Kerr hypothesis, and highlight the progress enabled by GWTC-4.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Bright flare in the obscured state of GRS 1915+105 as seen by NICER and Swift

We report time-resolved NICER and Swift X-ray spectroscopy of a bright flare from the black hole X-ray binary GRS 1915+105 during its obscured state, which is characterized by heavy line-of-sight absorption by dense material with complex geometry. In April 2023, an unexpected flare was detected, with the observed X-ray flux increasing by nearly an order of magnitude relative to the typical obscured-state level. The spectra show pronounced variability, including significant evolution of the Fe K emission features. Time-resolved spectral modeling indicates that the main flare is associated with a combination of enhanced intrinsic emission and reduced obscuration. We further find that neutral and ionized reflection components are subject to distinct absorbers, whose evolving visibility implies a stratified absorber-reflector geometry. These properties are consistent with a re-illumination phase following a failed disk wind. A delayed radio flare detected about 2.5 days later suggests a coupling between accretion and jet activity.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Testing non-circular black hole spacetime with X-ray reflection

X-ray reflection spectroscopy is a powerful tool for testing the Kerr hypothesis and probing the strong gravity regime around accreting black holes. Most tests of General Relativity (GR) assume that the spacetime around a black hole is circular, meaning the metric possesses a specific symmetry structure common to the Kerr solution. However, deviations from circularity are predicted by various modified gravity theories and non-vacuum General Relativity solutions. In this work, we test a specific non-circular metric constructed based on a locality principle, where the deviation from the Kerr spacetime is driven by the local spacetime curvature. To accurately model the reflection spectrum in this background, we implement a relativistic ray-tracing code in horizon-penetrating (ingoing Kerr) coordinates, which are favored for their ability to avoid introducing curvature singularities at the horizon in non-circular spacetimes. We apply this model to the high-quality \textit{NuSTAR} spectrum of the Galactic black hole binary EXO 1846--031. Our spectral analysis reveals a source with a high inclination angle ($\iota \approx 76^{\circ}$) and a near-extremal spin parameter ($a_* \approx 0.98$). While we identify a global minimum in the parameter space suggesting a non-zero deformation ($\ell_{\mathrm{NP}} \approx 0.12$), the 99\% confidence interval fully encompasses the Kerr limit ($\ell_{\mathrm{NP}}=0$). We conclude that the current X-ray reflection data for EXO 1846--031 are consistent with the Kerr hypothesis. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using X-ray reflection spectroscopy to constrain non-circular metrics and establishes a framework for future tests.

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arXiv2025

Testing black hole metrics with binary black hole inspirals

Gravitational wave astronomy has opened an unprecedented window onto tests of gravity and fundamental physics in the strong-field regime. In this study, we examine a series of well-motivated deviations from the classical Kerr solution of General Relativity and employ gravitational wave data to place constraints on possible deviations from the Kerr geometry. The method involves calculating the phase of gravitational waves using the effective one-body formalism and then applying the parameterized post-Einsteinian framework to constrain the parameters appearing in these scenarios beyond General Relativity. The effective one-body method, known for its capability to model complex gravitational waveforms, is used to compute the wave phase, and the post-Einsteinian framework allows for a flexible, model-independent approach to parameter estimation. We demonstrate that gravitational wave data provide evidence supporting the Kerr nature of black holes, showing no significant deviations from General Relativity, thereby affirming its validity within the current observational limits. We further assess the potential impact of orbital eccentricity and find that, within observationally allowed ranges, its contribution to the inferred deviations is subdominant. This work bridges theoretical waveform modeling with observational constraints, providing a pathway to test the no-hair theorem and probe the astrophysical viability of modified black holes.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Measuring black hole spins with x-ray reflection spectroscopy: A GRMHD outlook

X-ray reflection spectroscopy has evolved as one of the leading methods to measure black hole spins. However, the question is whether its measurements are subjected to systematic biases, especially considering the possible discrepancy between the spin measurements inferred with this technique and those from gravitational wave observations. In this work, we use general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations of thin accretion disks around spinning black holes for modeling the accretion process, and then we simulate NuSTAR observations to test the capability of modern reflection models in recovering the input spins. For the first time, we model the electron density and ionization profiles from GRMHD-simulated disks. Our study reveals that current reflection models work well only for fast-rotating black holes. We model the corona as the base of the jet and we find that reflection models with lamppost emissivity profiles fail to recover the correct black hole spins. Reflection models with broken power-law emissivity profiles perform better. As we increase the complexity of the simulated models, it is more difficult to recover the correct input spins, pointing toward the need to update our current reflection models with more advanced accretion disks and coronal geometries.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

X-ray reflection spectroscopy with improved calculations of the emission angle

The reflection spectrum produced by a cold medium illuminated by X-ray photons is not isotropic and its shape depends on the emission angle. In the reflection spectrum of an accretion disk of a black hole, the value of the emission angle changes over the disk and, in general, is different from the value of the inclination angle of the disk because of the light bending in the strong gravitational field of the black hole. Current reflection models make some approximations, as calculating a reflection spectrum taking the correct emission angle at every point of the disk into account would be too time-consuming and make the model too slow to analyze observations. In a recent paper, we showed that these approximations are unsuitable to fit high-quality black hole spectra expected from the next generation of X-ray missions. Here, we present a reflection model with improved calculations of the emission angle that solves this problem.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Quasi-normal modes of slowly-rotating Johannsen black holes

The detection of gravitational waves with ground-based laser interferometers has opened a new window to test and constrain General Relativity (GR) in the strong, dynamical, and non-linear regime. In this paper, we follow an agnostic approach and we study the quasi-normal modes of gravitational perturbations of Johannsen black holes under the assumptions of the validity of the Einstein Equations and of low values of the black hole spin parameter and deformation parameters. We find that the deformation parameter $\alpha_{13}$ has a stronger impact on the quasi-normal modes than the other leading order deformation parameters ($\alpha_{22}$, $\alpha_{52}$, and $\epsilon_{3}$). We derive a fitting formula for the fundamental modes with $l=2$ and $l=3$ for the deformation parameter $\alpha_{13}$ valid in the slow rotation approximation ($a_* < 0.4$). Finally, we constrain $\alpha_{13}$ from the event GW170104; within our analysis, we find that the data of GW170104 are consistent with the predictions of GR.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Observing the eye of the storm I: testing regular black holes with LVK and EHT observations

According to the celebrated singularity theorems, space-time singularities in general relativity are inevitable. However, it is generally believed that singularities do not exist in nature, and their existence suggests the necessity of a new theory of gravity. In this paper, we investigated a regular astrophysically viable space-time (regular in the sense that it is singularity-free) from the observational point of view using observations from the LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA (LVK), and the event horizon telescope (EHT) collaborations. This black hole solution depends on a free parameter $\ell$ in addition to the mass, $M$, and the spin, $a$, violating, in this way, the non-hair theorem/conjecture. In the case of gravitational wave observations, we use the catalogs GWTC-1, 2, and 3 to constrain the free parameter. In the case of the EHT, we use the values of the angular diameter reported for SgrA* and M87*. We also investigated the photon ring structure by considering scenarios such as static spherical accretion, infalling spherical accretion, and thin accretion disk. Our results show that the EHT observations constrain the free parameter $\ell$ to the intervals $0\leq \ell \leq 0.148$ and $0\leq \ell \leq 0.212$ obtained for SgrA* and M87*, respectively. On the other hand, GW observations constrain the free parameter with values that satisfy the theoretical limit, particularly those events for which $\ell<<1$. Our results show that the most stringent constraints on $\ell$ correspond to the events GW191204-171526 ($\ell=0.041^{+0.106}_{-0.041}$) and GW190924-021846 ($\ell=0.050^{+0.165}_{-0.050}$) for the SEOB model.

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arXiv2024

Gravitational Wave Astronomy With TianQin

The opening of the gravitational wave window has significantly enhanced our capacity to explore the universe's most extreme and dynamic sector. In the mHz frequency range, a diverse range of compact objects, from the most massive black holes at the farthest reaches of the Universe to the lightest white dwarfs in our cosmic backyard, generate a complex and dynamic symphony of gravitational wave signals. Once recorded by gravitational wave detectors, these unique fingerprints have the potential to decipher the birth and growth of cosmic structures over a wide range of scales, from stellar binaries and stellar clusters to galaxies and large-scale structures. The TianQin space-borne gravitational wave mission is scheduled for launch in the 2030s, with an operational lifespan of five years. It will facilitate pivotal insights into the history of our universe. This document presents a concise overview of the detectable sources of TianQin, outlining their characteristics, the challenges they present, and the expected impact of the TianQin observatory on our understanding of them.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Testing the Kerr nature with binary black hole inspirals

The theory of general relativity (GR) is the standard framework for the description of gravitation and the geometric structure of spacetime. With the recent advancement of observational instruments, it has become possible to probe the strong field regime to test GR. We present the constraints obtained from the binary black hole inspiral data of the LIGO-Virgo-Kagra (LVK) gravitational wave (GW) observations on the deformations of some popular parametrized non-Kerr metrics.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Modeling reflection spectra of super-Eddington X-ray sources

Relativistic reflection is a common feature in the X-ray observations of accreting compact objects. We present reflux, a new X-ray reflection model for spectral analysis of super-Eddington sources. We develop two relativistic reflection frameworks for super-Eddington accretion: a slim-disk model that self-consistently accounts for disk thickening and self-shadowing, and an optically thick wind model that treats reflection off a funnel-shaped outflow. The slim-disk model offers a geometry where the inner disk thickness is proportional to radius, becoming thicker as the mass accretion rate increases. The wind model measures the opening angle of the funnel, the wind speed, and wind acceleration radius. The slim-disk profile reduces the brightness of the blue horn in the Fe K emission line for a fixed emissivity and significantly changes the intensity profile for a lamppost geometry. The wind model shows a blue-shifted iron line due to high velocity outflows. Both models assume a spherically symmetric spacetime. We apply the wind model to the XMM-Newton spectrum of the tidal disruption event Swift J1644+57, where the Fe K profile is expected to be shaped by scattering in an outflowing funnel. We constrain the opening angle of the funnel and find a high velocity of the wind.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Non-Kerr Constraints using Binary Black Hole inspirals considering phase modifications up to 4 PN order

The gravitational field around an astrophysical black hole (BH) is thought to be described by the Kerr spacetime, which is a solution of the Einstein equation. Signatures of binary black hole (BBH) coalescence in gravitational waves (GW) follow the Kerr spacetime as the theoretical foundation. Hence, any possible deviations from the Kerr spacetime around BHs serve as a test of the nature of gravity in the strong-field regime and of the predictions of General Relativity. In our study, we perform a theory-agnostic test of the Kerr hypothesis using BBH inspirals from the third Gravitational-wave Transient Catalog (GWTC-3). Considering the Johannsen metric, we compute the leading-order deviation to the emitted GW in the frequency domain. Our results provide constraints on two deformation parameters ($\alpha_{13}$ and $\epsilon_3$) and demonstrate the degeneracy between these two non-Kerr parameters.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

X-ray spectra of black hole X-ray binaries with returning radiation

In the disk-corona model, the X-ray spectrum of a stellar-mass black hole in an X-ray binary is characterized by three components: a thermal component from a thin and cold accretion disk, a Comptonized component from a hot corona, and a reflection component produced by illumination of the cold disk by the hot corona. In this paper, we assume a lamppost corona and we improve previous calculations of the X-ray spectrum of black hole X-ray binaries. The reflection spectrum is produced by the direct radiation from the corona as well as by the returning radiation of the thermal and reflection components and is calculated considering the actual spectrum illuminating the disk. If we turn the corona off, the reflection spectrum is completely generated by the returning radiation of the thermal component, as it may happen for some sources in soft spectral states. After choosing the radial density profile of the accretion disk, the ionization parameter is calculated self-consistently at any radial coordinate of the disk from the illuminating X-ray flux and the local electron density. We show the predictions of our model in different regimes and we discuss its current limitations as well as the next steps to improve it.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Testing General Relativity with NuSTAR data of Galactic Black Holes : II

General relativity predicts the spacetime metric around an astrophysical black hole to be described by the Kerr solution, which is a massive rotating black hole without any residual charge. In a previous paper, we analyzed the NuSTAR observations of six X-ray binaries to obtain constraints on the deformation parameter $\alpha_{13}$ using a state-of-the-art relativistic model. In this work, we continue analyzing NuSTAR observations of four more X-ray Binaries; two of which, namely Swift~J174540.7--290015 and Swift~J174540.2--290037 are X-ray Transients very close to the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. The other two sources have complicated absorption, which is accounted for by time- and flux-resolved spectroscopy. The observation of MAXI J1631-479 is divided into two parts to account for the sudden increase in flux. The V404 Cygni spectra, obtained by combining two consecutive observations, are divided into 5 flux states and also account for absorption by quantifying the excess flux in the energy range of 6.5-7.0 keV. The constraints obtained are consistent with the Kerr hypothesis and are comparable with those obtained in previous studies and those from gravitational events. This work shows that even highly absorbed sources can be used for testing the Kerr hypothesis, which is possible with careful data reduction and subsequent data analysis.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Towards more accurate synthetic reflection spectra: improving the calculations of returning radiation

We present a new model to calculate reflection spectra of thin accretion disks in Kerr spacetimes. Our model includes the effect of returning radiation, which is the radiation that is emitted by the disk and returns to the disk because of the strong light bending near a black hole. The major improvement with respect to the existing models is that it calculates the reflection spectrum at every point on the disk by using the actual spectrum of the incident radiation. Assuming a lamppost coronal geometry, we simulate simultaneous observations of NICER and NuSTAR of bright Galactic black holes and we fit the simulated data with the latest version of RELXILL (modified to read the table of REFLIONX, which is the non-relativistic reflection model used in our calculations). We find that RELXILL with returning radiation cannot fit well the simulated data when the black hole spin parameter is very high and the coronal height and disk's ionization parameter are low, and some parameters can be significantly overestimated or underestimated. We can find better fits and recover the correct input parameters as the value of the black hole spin parameter decreases and the value of the coronal height increases.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

Testing General Relativity with Black Hole X-Ray Data and ABHModels

The past 10 years have seen tremendous progress in our capability of testing General Relativity in the strong field regime with black hole observations. 10 years ago, the theory of General Relativity was almost completely unexplored in the strong field regime. Today, we have gravitational wave data of the coalescence of stellar-mass black holes, radio images of the supermassive black holes SgrA$^*$ and M87$^*$, and high-quality X-ray data of stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binaries and supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei. In this manuscript, we will review current efforts to test General Relativity with black hole X-ray data and we will provide a detailed description of the public codes available on ABHModels.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2023

Testing Regular Black Holes with X-ray data of GX 339-4

Regular black holes are singularity-free black hole spacetimes proposed to solve the problem of the presence of spacetime singularities that plagues the black holes of general relativity and most theories of gravity. In this work, we consider the regular black holes recently proposed by Mazza, Franzin & Liberati and we extend previous studies to get a more stringent observational constraint on the regularization parameter $l$. We study simultaneous observations of NuSTAR and Swift of the Galactic black hole in GX 339-4 during its outburst in 2015. The quality of the NuSTAR data is exceptionally good and the spectrum of the source presents both a strong thermal component and prominent relativistically blurred reflection features. This permits us to measure the regularization parameter $l$ from the simultaneous analysis of the thermal spectrum and the reflection features. From our analysis, we find the constraint $l/M < 0.44$ (90% CL), which is stronger than previous constraints inferred with X-ray and gravitational wave data.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

$f$-mode oscillations of compact stars with realistic equations of state in dynamical spacetime

In this study, we perform full three dimensional numerical relativity simulations of non-rotating general relativistic stars. Extending the studies for polytropic equation of state, we investigate the accuracy and robustness of numerical scheme on measuring fundamental ($f$)-mode frequency for realistic equations of state (EoS). We use various EoS with varying range of stiffness and numerically evolve perturbed stellar models for several mass configurations (in the range of $1.2 - 2.0$ $M_{\odot}$) for each of these EoS. Using the gravitational waveform obtained from the simulations we extract the $f$-modes of the stars. The obtained results are tested against the pre-existing perturbation methods and find good agreement. Validity and deviation of universal relations have been carried out and are compared with earlier results under Cowling approximation as well as perturbative approaches. We also show that even using perturbed single star simulations can provide good agreement with $f$-modes extracted from inspiral phase of binary neutron star simulations which are computationally more expensive.

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