We revisit static tidal perturbations of relativistic stars with emphasis on two technical issues in the standard quadrupolar formulation. First, we derive the regular-center Frobenius expansion of the interior even-parity master function and obtain a corrected subleading coefficient, which differs from the expression commonly used in the literature. Second, we derive the static even-parity master equation on a Schwarzschild-de Sitter background, extending the usual asymptotically flat problem to a two-horizon geometry. To place these results on a common footing, we also show how the general interior even-parity system in Regge-Wheeler gauge reduces to the standard quadrupolar equation used in Love-number calculations. Numerical integrations for polytropic equations of state show that the corrected center coefficient affects only subleading initial data and leaves the extracted Love number $k_2$ unchanged within numerical accuracy. Taken together, these results fix the regular-center input to the standard quadrupolar problem and extend the static even-parity formalism to Schwarzschild-de Sitter backgrounds. less

We construct an analytic geodesic-optics description of quasinormal ringing, black-hole shadows, strong lensing, and grey-body factors for the static spherical metric introduced in Eq.~(9) of Ref.~\cite{BakopoulosEtAl2024}. Working in a weak-hair regime for the coupling combination $β\equivηq^4$, we derive closed first-order formulas for the photon-sphere radius, orbital frequency $Ω_{\text{ph}}$, and Lyapunov exponent $λ_{\text{ph}}$. These invariants are then employed within the Schutz--Will WKB approach to obtain eikonal quasinormal frequencies, mapped to shadow and strong-deflection observables through exact identities for static spherical geometries, and used to build a closed analytic form for the transmission probability $Γ_\ell(ω)$. At leading eikonal order, these relations are controlled by null geodesics and are therefore spin-universal for test scalar/electromagnetic/gravitational sectors, up to subleading corrections. Besides the standard ringdown--shadow correspondence, we present three additional results: (i) an explicit quality-factor correction, (ii) limiting core-size expansions that show when damping ratios are nearly insensitive to the scalarized core, and (iii) a comparative study of grey-body factors for moderate multipoles ($\ell=3,4$) and several core-size ratios. The resulting construction provides a concise one-parameter connection from the metric function to ringdown, lensing, and scattering observables. less

Stationary black hole geometries with non-degenerate Cauchy horizons are classically unstable due to mass inflation. At extremality, mass inflation is absent, but a different dynamical instability arises: the Aretakis instability. In this work, we investigate the properties of degenerate horizons and their associated Aretakis instabilities. By studying examples with increasingly higher-order horizon degeneracy, we show that the Aretakis instability weakens as the degree of degeneracy grows. Motivated by these results, we propose a new black hole geometry characterized by an infinitely degenerate horizon, which we argue is stable under Aretakis-type perturbations and may therefore provide a concrete realization of a "graveyard" end state for these objects. less

Gravitational waveform templates are a key ingredient for the detection and characterization of gravitational waves emitted by compact binary mergers in the universe. These templates must be physically accurate and extensive, but also highly computationally efficient, two requirements that are often in tension. One solution to this problem is the development of surrogate models, which are fast, data-driven models trained to predict the output of a slower, physically realistic waveform model. In this article we build on existing work to incorporate machine learning techniques into the conventional reduced order surrogate framework, with a focus on extending coverage to waveform models that describe generically precessing quasicircular binaries. In particular, we present SEOBNRv5PHM_NNSur7dq10, a reduced order neural network surrogate of the SEOBNRv5PHM waveform model, valid up to mass ratios 1:10 for precessing quasicircular binary black hole systems with arbitrary spin magnitudes and orientations. The faithfulness of the surrogate to SEOBNRv5PHM is validated, and the surrogate is successfully applied to Bayesian parameter inference using both real and injected gravitational wave data. The surrogate is approximately 5 times faster than SEOBNRv5PHM when evaluating a single waveform on a CPU, and nearly 1000 times faster per-waveform when amortizing the cost over large waveform batches on a GPU. less

Gravitational waves provide a powerful probe of both the astrophysical processes driving black hole mergers and the dynamics of the Universe, but these measurements rely on accurately inferring the unknown underlying population. We perform an agnostic reconstruction of the primary mass distribution using B-splines, characterising the emergence of structure with increasing model complexity. Using the latest gravitational-wave transient catalog, GWTC-4.0, we identify multiple mass features and find evidence suggesting a logarithmic hierarchy in the population. We show that this structure directly impacts measurements of the Hubble constant, primarily through features at the population boundaries. Finally, we introduce an approach that isolates a subpopulation of low-mass events to mitigate modelling systematics, providing a promising path toward robust population-based cosmology with future datasets. less

We investigate an analytical framework for reconstructing bulk geometries from pole-skipping data. Previously, this method enabled the recursive recovery of near-horizon metric derivatives in static, planar-symmetric black holes. Building on this framework, we systematically extend it to more intricate geometries, specifically static topological black holes and rotating black holes. For three-dimensional rotating black holes, we demonstrate that the metric can be fully reconstructed from boundary pole-skipping data. For four-dimensional rotating spacetimes admitting a separable coordinate system (such as the Kerr family), standard near-horizon pole-skipping successfully reconstructs the purely radial metric functions. To recover the remaining angular metric functions, we introduce a mathematical counterpart termed "angular pole-skipping," defined via a near-axis analysis. Although its precise holographic dictionary remains an open question, this bulk-side formalism completes the geometric reconstruction algorithm. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the vacuum Einstein equations can be recast as a set of algebraic equations governing the pole-skipping data and that the null energy condition imposes algebraic inequalities on this boundary data. Finally, we establish general polynomial constraints dictated by the overdetermined nature of the metric reconstruction, highlighting the highly redundant encoding of bulk geometry in boundary data. less

We consider a hybrid metric-Palatini theory whose action depends on the metric and Palatini scalar curvatures, together with the corresponding quadratic Ricci invariants, through an arbitrary function $f(R,\mathcal{R},\mathcal{R}_{μν}R^{μν},R_{μν}R^{μν},\mathcal{R}_{(μν)}\mathcal{R}^{(μν)})$. We derive the associated field equations and linearize them around Minkowski spacetime in order to analyze the dynamical content of the theory. This formulation allows us to compute the graviton propagator and to identify the additional spin-2 and spin-0 modes generated by the mixed metric-affine structure. We show that, in general, the Ricci-squared terms give rise to a massive spin-2 ghost, and we determine the algebraic conditions on the background derivatives of $f$ required to eliminate it, leaving only healthy scalar excitations. Several relevant subclasses -- including hybrid $f(R,\mathcal{R})$, $f(\mathcal{R},\mathcal{R}_{(μν)}\mathcal{R}^{(μν)})$, $f(R,\mathcal{R}_{(μν)}\mathcal{R}^{(μν)})$, and the purely metric $f(R)$ and Palatini $f(\mathcal{R})$ cases -- are recovered as limiting regimes, and their ghost- and tachyon-free conditions are obtained in a unified way. Altogether, this establishes a systematic framework for assessing the theoretical consistency of extended hybrid metric-Palatini gravity theories. less

We present Basilic, a dedicated pipeline for Bayesian model selection and parameter estimation of short-duration gravitational-wave burst signals observable with ground-based detectors. Built on top of the bilby framework, Basilic combines modularity, pre-implemented burst models, and HTCondor integration to enable rapid, user-friendly analyses with minimal technical overhead. This work outlines the design philosophy, operational flow, and a set of example use cases demonstrating its scientific potential. As a case study, we also undertake an in-depth exploration of the comparison between a binary black hole merger and a cosmic string signal, through a parameter space exploration injection campaign. In addition to the well-known high-mass binary black-hole signal morphology degeneracy with cosmic string-like signals, we find that high anti-aligned component spins, even at moderate mass, can result in a similar degeneracy. Motivated by the likely low-SNR expected regime of possible future detections, we propose a data-driven study of model degeneracy, to be employed in the event of an inconclusive Bayes factor. less

We study spontaneous scalarization of a scalar field in the magnetized Reissner--Nordström spacetime induced by parity-violating and parity-preserving interactions, represented by couplings to the electromagnetic Chern--Simons, gravitational Chern--Simons, and Gauss--Bonnet invariants, respectively. Working in the decoupling limit, we evolve scalar perturbations in the time domain and determine the critical coupling for the onset of tachyonic instability. This allows us to compare, within the same magnetized background, how the external magnetic field affects scalarization induced by parity-violating and parity-preserving interactions. We find that the magnetic field lowers the scalarization threshold in the electromagnetic and gravitational Chern--Simons channels. In the Gauss--Bonnet channel, by contrast, the effect divided into two branches: on the negative-$α$ branch in our convention, corresponding to the standard GB$^{+}$ branch, the magnitude of the critical coupling increases with the magnetic field, whereas on the positive-$α$ branch, corresponding to GB$^{-}$, the critical coupling decreases with the magnetic field but diverges in the limit of vanishing field. The magnetic field also modifies the late-time dynamics and gives rise to Melvin-like modes. When nonlinear couplings are included, the unbounded growth of the linearized theory is replaced by bounded oscillatory evolution. These results show that external magnetic fields affect scalarization induced by parity-violating and parity-preserving interactions in qualitatively different ways, and reveal a pronounced asymmetry between the two Gauss--Bonnet branches. less

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has guided strong-field gravitational physics by providing the first direct images of the supermassive black holes M87* and Sagittarius A*. The EHT observations offer unprecedented opportunities to test modified gravity theories against general relativity (GR). Motivated by this, we investigate charged rotating black holes in KR gravity, a framework motivated by string theory that incorporates spontaneous Lorentz symmetry breaking. The spacetime geometry is characterized by a Lorentz--violating parameter $\ell$ and electric charge $Q$, which modify the Kerr--Newman metric through a radial-dependent mass function. We compute black hole shadows and derive constraints on $\ell$ and $Q$ using EHT observations of M87* and Sgr A*. For angular shadow diameter $θ_{\rm sh}$ of M87* at inclination $θ_o=17^\circ$ and fixed $Q=0.2$, the EHT-allowed range $θ_{\rm sh}\in(35.1,\,40.5)\,μ\mathrm{as}$ constrains the Lorentz--violating parameter to approximately $-0.019\lesssim\ell\lesssim0.075$ and $-0.076\lesssim\ell\lesssim0.029$ across the admissible spin interval. For angular shadow diameter $θ_{\rm sh}$ of Sgr A* at inclination $θ_o=50^\circ$ and fixed $Q=0.2$, the corresponding EHT-allowed range $θ_{\rm sh}\in(41.7,\,55.7)\,μ\mathrm{as}$ permits approximately $-0.075\lesssim\ell\lesssim0.110$ and $-0.124\lesssim\ell\lesssim0.076$ across the admissible spin interval. Our analysis reveals that the Lorentz-violating parameter suppresses the shadow radius by a factor $\sqrt{1-\ell}$, while charge introduces additional distortions. Using the angular shadow diameter measured by EHT, we obtain an upper bound $\ell \lesssim 0.19$ from Sgr A* data with the stellar dynamics mass prior. less