Papers

Current and forthcoming wide-field galaxy surveys, such as SPHEREx and Euclid, provide a unique opportunity to probe the ultra-large scales of structure formation, where primordial non-Gaussianity, often parameterized by $f_\text{NL}$, is expected to leave its most detectable imprint. At the same time, these surveys inevitably enter regimes where relativistic and wide-angle effects become significant, requiring careful modeling to extract unbiased cosmological information. We address these challenges by applying the total-angular-momentum (TAM) formalism to describe redshift-space clustering beyond the flat-sky approximation. The standard Fourier-mode description, which characterizes distortions by the angle between a mode and a line of sight, becomes ill-defined over wide fields, whereas the TAM basis naturally separates radial and angular contributions and incorporates the relevant relativistic effects. Within this framework, we provide a new parameterization of wide-angle predictions that can be compared directly with survey data. We then introduce PowerFull, a modification of the Julia-based 2-FAST package, which enables efficient computation of the full relativistic angular power spectrum. Finally, using Fisher information matrix-based analyses, we show that a survey like SPHEREx reaches $\sigma(f_\text{NL}) \sim 1$, but that neglecting the relativistic and wide-angle contributions shifts the recovered $f_\text{NL}$ by an amount of order its own uncertainty: at this precision the inferred value is biased unless the clustering is modeled consistently.

We study weak gravitational lensing and steady spherical test–fluid accretion by a static charged black hole in a Lorentz–violating Kalb–Ramond background with two nonminimal curvature couplings, assuming minimally coupled probe radiation. Using the Gauss–Bonnet theorem with the correct boundary term and perturbed ray boundary, we obtain the complete local deflection angle through second post–Minkowskian order. In a homogeneous cold plasma, the mass and charge sectors acquire different frequency dependences, producing distinct chromatic signatures. The two Lorentz–violating couplings are also separated: one controls the conical geometry and mass normalization, while the other first enters through the effective charge. For neutral adiabatic accretion, we derive the conserved fluxes, Bernoulli relation, Hamiltonian flow, and sonic–point conditions. These results disentangle local, global, dispersive, and accretion effects and establish the calibrations required for phenomenological constraints.

We explore the active geometric contribution of spatial curvature in a closed universe, distinguishing between kinematic superacceleration and the strict violation of matter energy conditions. We demonstrate that for pressureless matter obeying the Dominant Energy Condition (DEC), positive spatial curvature does not induce a phantom regime, but leads to a decelerating expansion that culminates in a late-time turnaround ($\dot{H}<0$). At this finite-scale moment, the expansion ceases and the apparent horizon stays regular, signaling the beginning of an eventual Big Crunch. We contrast this behavior with the genuine phantom case ($\omega<-1$), where positive curvature introduces a distinct, early finite-radius expansion bounce ($\dot{H}>0$) that cannot prevent the inevitable late-time Big Rip singularity. Finally, we contextualize these results, discussing how positive spatial curvature can dynamically mimic phantom phenomenology and permit geodesically complete cosmologies without relying on exotic, energy-condition-violating matter.

Cosmological tests of general relativity (GR) using gravitational waves (GWs) often rely on parametrised forms of the luminosity distance-redshift ($ d_{\rm L} - z$) relation, which is modified in alternative theories of gravity where the gravitational coupling strength is time-dependent. Although they can lead to stringent results, these parametrisations encapsulate a restricted range of behaviours that may not represent the full variety of modified gravity theories. We present a quasi-model-independent framework to reconstruct deviations from GR in the ratio of the GW to standard electromagnetic luminosity distance. We find that our method can confidently constrain monotonic, irregular, and oscillatory features in the ratio, without biasing population distribution parameters. Applying our framework to GWTC-5 data, we find no deviations from GR. We report that O5-like GW data will not resolve deviations from GR smaller than 30% with our method; however, third generation GW detectors can confidently detect deviations of order 5% to 3$\sigma$ significance.

Gravitational-wave (GW) observations of stellar-mass compact binary coalescences directly measure the source luminosity distance. Combined with the source redshift, these measurements constrain the current expansion rate of the Universe, the Hubble constant, $H_0$, or $h=H_0 / [100 \,{\rm km \,s^{-1} \, Mpc^{-1}}]$. For most GW signals no electromagnetic redshift measurement is expected, but the GW signal itself depends on the redshifted (detector-frame) masses. Assuming a source-frame mass distribution therefore enables a redshift estimate for each source. Combining the redshift estimates with the distance measurements provides a weak constraint on $H_0$ for each individual source that tightens with the number of sources in the catalog. However, the shape of the source-frame mass distribution is not known a priori, and previous work has relied on parametric models (piecewise power-laws with Gaussian components), and one-dimensional Gaussian processes. Here, we introduce CosmoPyro, a fully differentiable hierarchical Bayesian inference code that models the mass distribution using either one- or two-dimensional Gaussian processes. With the latest GW transient catalog (GWTC-5) we find $h = 0.66^{+0.17}_{-0.20}$ and $h = 0.57^{+0.20}_{-0.15}$ (median with $1\sigma$ uncertainty), for the one- and two-dimensional case, respectively. Despite the noticeably different inferred mass distributions, both models yield $H_0$ values consistent with the latest LVK measurements within $1 \sigma$. While our main results marginalize over the Gaussian-process power-spectrum hyperparameters, the measurement is also robust against fixing these hyperparameters over a range comparable to their measured uncertainty.

We develop a perturbative framework for structure formation in a broad class of MOND-like theories characterized by a generalized nonlinear Poisson equation. We derive the modified evolution equations governing matter perturbations and obtain the corresponding linear growth equation, extending the analysis into the mildly nonlinear regime through one-loop corrections to the matter power spectrum. Beyond the theoretical framework, we perform a cosmological analysis based on two phenomenological scenarios: one parametrized by a quantity controlling the degree of nonlinearity in the generalized Poisson equation, and another describing the interplay between the MOND acceleration scale and the cosmological acceleration associated with the background expansion. We constrain these scenarios using recent measurements of the growth rate of structure, $f\sigma_8$, DESI-DR2 baryon acoustic oscillation data, and Type Ia supernova compilations. We find no statistically significant evidence for departures from the standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmology. The inferred constraints are fully consistent with the GR + $\Lambda$CDM scenario within the current observational uncertainties. At nonlinear scales, we note that MOND-like modifications can alter $P_{\rm NL}(k)$ and leave signatures that current and future high-precision large-scale-structure observations may probe. Our results establish a systematic connection between MOND-like gravitational dynamics and large-scale structure observations, providing a consistent framework to assess the phenomenological viability of MOND-inspired modifications of gravity in a cosmological context.

We calculate the five-point tree-level Compton amplitudes for minimally coupled spinning matter in gauge theory and gravity in the massive spinor-helicity formalism, using BCFW recursion and KLT relations. The results are written in terms of symmetrized spinor products and are simultaneously valid for a range of matter spins, which directly generalizes the amplitudes of Arkani-Hamed, Huang, and Huang to the five-point case. Unlike the three- and four-point cases, each amplitude can be a sum of two or more distinct spin structures. Spurious poles are manifestly canceled through a mechanism that holds for all massive spins $s\leq 1$ in gauge theory and $s\leq 2$ in gravity. While we keep the amplitudes exact, their classical limits are expected to be relevant for binary systems of Kerr black holes in the post-Minkowskian expansion.

The definition of a Lorentzian gravitational path integral requires specifying which causal struc- tures are admitted off shell. Of particular importance are light-conical singularities, codimension- two irregularities of the light cone structure that render the gravitational action complex and can therefore lead to exponential enhancement or suppression of configurations. We investigate the prevalence and structure of such singularities in Lorentzian Regge gravity. We develop an efficient algorithm for randomly generating realizable Regge geometries satisfying the generalized triangle inequalities, and use it to sample the configuration space of four-dimensional triangulations. We find that light-conical singularities are generic: for bones shared by many four-simplices, configurations with irregular light cone structure overwhelmingly dominate, with trouser-type singularities gen- erally entropically favored. Restrictions on the causal character of subsimplices, such as requiring all tetrahedra to be spacelike, can substantially alter these statistics. We further show that both yarmulke- and, in four dimensions, trouser-type singularities can occur on unbounded regions of configuration space associated with simple refinement moves. Beyond light-conical singularities, we analyze the causal structure of Lorentzian triangulations more generally, for example by introducing the notion of pairwise embeddable chrono-topologies and a set of discrete causality data. Our re- sults demonstrate that causal irregularities are an intrinsic and abundant feature of the unrestricted Lorentzian Regge configuration space, sharpening the question of which causality conditions should be imposed in Regge gravity, spin-foam models, and ultimately the continuum gravitational path integral.

We begin by introducing a new parameterization for the Ovcharenko-Podolský family of exact solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell equations describing uncharged and non-accelerating static black holes immersed in an external Bertotti-Robinson electromagnetic field. The new spacetime is, in general, different from the original Ovcharenko-Podolský one, in particular on the branches solving the field equations, for which the original parameterization can lead to black holes with a negative mass, whereas the new one always leads to black holes with a positive mass. Moreover, by introducing additional gauge constants, we remove the various pathologies and ensure consistency with the laws of black hole thermodynamics. We then obtain a new family of Einstein-Maxwell solutions by generalizing this new parameterization, through Harrison transformation within the Ernst method, to also include an external electromagnetic field of the Bonnor-Melvin type. We again identify the appropriate gauge constants required to remove the possible pathologies and ensure that the resulting solutions satisfy the laws of black hole thermodynamics. Finally, we investigate the vacuum subcase of the new family and establish its relation to previously known metrics.

The dimensionless spin angular momentum, dimensionless spin function, and blackhole mass components of Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) were obtained by Daly et al. (2024) by applying the outflow method to six independent sets of simultaneously or contemporaneously obtained X-ray and radio data. Here, results obtained for Sgr A* with the outflow method are reviewed. Consistent results were obtained with each data set. Set I (the preferred data set) indicates that Sgr A* has a dimensionless spin angular momentum $a_* = (0.90 ~\pm~ 0.06)$ and a dimensionless spin function $F = (0.62 ~\pm~ 0.10)$. The results are consistent with the value of $a_* = (0.93~\pm~ 0.15)$ obtained with the outflow method applied to an independent data set (Daly 2019). The application of the outflow method to a weak compact radio source such as Sgr A* in its current state is most accurately determined with simultaneous or contemporaneous radio and X-ray measurements.

Working in the Worldline Quantum Field Theory framework, we obtain the classical gravitational Compton amplitude through the fifth post-Minkowskian order, $\mathcal{O}(G^5)$. At this order, the point-particle description must be supplemented by the leading static tidal operators. After removing lower-order iterations, we extract the corresponding $N$-matrix element and match it to black-hole perturbation theory. The matching fixes the static tidal Wilson coefficients to zero, providing confirmation of the vanishing static Love numbers of a Schwarzschild black hole.

We present a decomposition of the Kerr Green's function in the time domain, motivated by the frequency-domain split previously studied in the Schwarzschild limit. We show that the identification of a quasinormal-mode contribution, a direct part, and a late-time tail is still available, where the split times are determined by the black hole spin and positions of the emitter and receiver. We have checked this Green's function with time-domain Teukolsky numerical simulations and find excellent agreement. We also apply this decomposed Green's function in the time domain to a model problem with a test particle plunging into a Kerr black hole. The dynamically excited direct wave and quasinormal modes are obtained by convoluting the Green's function with the particle's source term, which may be viewed as the first order in mass ratio of a spinning black hole ringdown.

We present a reformulation of four-dimensional chiral gravity in terms of a chiral gauge connection and a Clifford-valued coframe. The exterior algebra generated by $e^a \gamma_a$, together with the gauge curvature $F$, provides a natural and systematic construction of gauge-covariant differential forms. We show that suitable combinations of the chiral actions reproduce Einstein–Cartan–Holst gravity with a cosmological term. The original superconnection invariants yield only algebraic fermionic equations, so the fermionic one-forms do not propagate but instead generate a mass-like mixing between the two chiralities. Spinor propagation is supplied by a spinorial BF-type term, which under the matter ansatz reduces to the standard first-order Weyl kinetic action, including the torsion coupling. We also review the symmetry and variational properties of the matter ansatz, including its Lorentz equivariance, its relation to residual supersymmetry and twistor spinors, and the connection between the reduced and unrestricted field equations.

We study the existence of Einstein scales and compatible metrics in Grassmannian geometry. As a special case, this includes the conformal-to-Einstein problem for anti-self-dual (ASD) conformal structures. In the ASD setting, given a genericity condition algebraic in the Weyl curvature, we obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a local Einstein scale that refine those previously appearing in the literature. We also prove that in Riemannian signature, a non-Ricci-flat ASD-Kähler metric is locally conformally Einstein if and only if it has a holomorphic Killing vector field with anti-self-dual derivative proportional to the Ricci spinor. Next, we consider some generalisations of the ASD conformal-to-Einstein problem for $(2n,2)$-Grassmannian structures. When $n > 1$, given an analogous genericity condition, we obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a local Einstein scale. Using tractor calculus, we obtain algebraic obstructions to the existence of compatible metrics and show that the unique submaximally symmetric model of the geometry has the submaximal number of linearly independent compatible metrics.

We develop a thermomechanical framework for viable Horndeski scalar hair with spacelike scalar-field gradients. Adapting the $(1{+}1{+}2)$ formalism to the scalar configuration, we apply the effective imperfect-fluid decomposition to the model and derive general results governing its thermomechanical properties. Specifically, we infer the constitutive relations for the effective medium, in both observer-dependent and observer-independent approaches, thereby identifying the conditions under which the scalar hair admits thermomechanical interpretations. The observer-dependent approach leads to an analogy with anisotropic media characterized by a preferred spatial direction, whereas the observer-independent view shows similarities with layered media. The general results are then specialized to static, spherically symmetric configurations with scalar hair depending solely on the areal radius. Interestingly, this scenario allows us to connect the thermomechanical framework with the Tolman–Ehrenfest criterion for thermal equilibrium.

We compute the renormalized scalar vacuum polarization $\langle \phi^2 \rangle$ of a massive, non-minimally coupled quantum field in the Hartle–Hawking state exterior to a family of static, spherically symmetric quantum-corrected, effective and regular black holes: the Kazakov–Solodukhin quantum-deformed black hole, the two effective loop-quantum-gravity geometries of Zhang–Lewandowski–Ma–Yang, the renormalization-group improved Schwarzschild black hole of Bonanno–Reuter, and the Bardeen regular black hole. We adapt the extended point-splitting mode-sum formalism, implemented as a high-performance code, and present the exterior profile of the vacuum polarization over a grid of the quantum-deformation parameter, the field mass $\mu=mM$ and the curvature coupling $\xi$. The five geometries display qualitatively distinct horizon responses. In all five geometries the deformation imprint is governed by the sign of the background Ricci scalar through the DeWitt–Schwinger curvature term linear in $(\xi-1/6)\mathcal{R}$, and is strongly suppressed at conformal coupling. We verify this both in magnitude and in the $\xi$-dependence. In the near-extremal regime of the two geometries with inner horizons we find a sign change of the horizon polarization at light field mass – absent for Reissner–Nordström at matched temperature and removed by conformal coupling – identifying a genuinely quantum-geometric, de-Sitter-core-driven regime. Every result reduces to the Schwarzschild value in the classical limit, validating the calculation.

Continuous gravitational waves from accreting neutron stars in Low Mass X-ray Binaries are one of the main targets for current and next generation ground based detectors. In order to select the most promising astrophysical sources, however, reliable predictions for the signals are required, and it is therefore necessary to develop models that consistently account for the combined effects of magnetic stresses, accretion-induced heating, and the elastic response of the crust.}{We present a model for computing the quadrupolar deformation, incorporating for the first time the coupled effects of a poloidal magnetic field, deep crustal heating, and crustal elasticity. Perturbations to the star's structure driven by the Lorentz force density and by thermally-induced density variations are computed by solving a system of linearised deformation equations in the crust, for which we consider the full elastic response, while the ocean and core treated as barotropic fluids. We identify a threshold accretion rate whose value depends on crustal microphysics and the superfluid gaps in the core, above which magnetic stresses and asymmetric accretion drive deformations of opposite sign, while below this threshold their roles are reversed. The predicted eccentricities reach magnitudes up to $\varepsilon\sim 10^{-11}$, corresponding to characteristic gravitational-wave strains accessible to next-generation detectors such as the Einstein Telescope or Cosmic Explorer, but generally below the sensitivity of current LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA interferometers. These results are consistent with the non-detection of continuous gravitational waves from accreting neutron stars in Low Mass X-ray Binaries in recent observational campaigns, but highlight the need of reliable models to understand the impact of gravitational wave emission in these systems and select relevant targets for future searches.

Ostrogradsky's theorem shows that higher-derivative dynamical systems inevitably yields a Hamiltonian featuring a ghost mode that is unbounded from below. However, we argue that this theorem is inapplicable to gravitational systems, as the Hamiltonian constraint, which encodes background independence by dictating that the total Hamiltonian vanishes, holds strictly. The ghost mode obeying this constraint constitutes an indispensable component in the construction of space and time. Nevertheless, it should be underscored that the use of the weak-field (graviton) approximation, being a background-dependent scheme presupposing the existence of absolute time, invokes this theorem; consequently, it is allowed only in the domain below the Planck scale, where second derivative terms dominate.

We study the cosmological features of Rastall gravity, where the covariant energy-momentum conservation is modified to $\nabla_{\mu}T^{\mu}_{\nu}=\lambda \nabla_{\nu}R$ in curved spacetime. For this purpose, we obtain the modified field equations of Rastall model to linear order of perturbations, and then inspect the evolutionary behavior of cosmological observables, chiefly the matter power spectrum and the Hubble parameter, within the context of Rastall gravity. We also compare Rastall model with cosmological probes, namely cosmic microwave background, weak lensing, supernovae, baryon acoustic oscillations, and redshift-space distortions data. According to our numerical results, Rastall gravity prefers lower growth of structures compared to the $\Lambda$CDM model, which indicates consistency with low-redshift large-scale structure probes. Moreover, numerical analysis reveals that Rastall gravity with a cosmological constant as the dark energy component suffers from the Hubble tension, like the $\Lambda$CDM model.

The quantum tunneling process is a fundamental concept that presents the unconventional nature of quantum dynamics. The main anomaly of this effect revolves around the choice of imposing the classical 4-momentum to become imaginary during the barrier traversal. This paper addresses this paradox by introducing a complex-time parametrization, which uses a complex temporal coordinate, $\tau = t + i\kappa$. Here, the real axis $(t)$ represents standard thermodynamic time, while the imaginary axis $(i\kappa)$ is correlated to spatial evanescence. We demonstrate that evaluating this extended complex-time framework yields a hyperbolic section of the causal lightcone, proving that the traversal is strictly bounded by the speed of light and preserves causal disconnection. Applied to quantum tunneling, we resolve the anomaly of imaginary momentum through a continuous geometric signature flip of the effective complex-time momentum norm from a timelike to a spacelike state. This theoretical model finds a physically phenomenological analogy in microwave scattering experiments using open, non-Hermitian systems, which link complex transmission time delay to spatial wave decay.

Recently, several studies have investigated the validity of General Relativity predictions. Gravitational waves provide an ideal probe for testing the theory in the strong-field regime. In this work, we consider a class of modified-grevity theories, specifically f(R), and scrutinize their predictions for the gravitational-wave emission from the coalescence of two astrophysical compact objects. We also assess the impact of next-generation gravitational-wave detectors on the ability of test these estensions of General Relativity.

Late (emergent) dark energy models that involve a hyperbolic tangent in their dynamic equations have achieved success due to their simplicity, the possibility of resolving the Hubble tension, and, in some cases their consistency with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) results. Among the most studied are the Phenomenological and General Emergent Dark Energy Models (PEDE and GEDE, respectively), the variable curvature model, and the graduated dark energy model. Our goal is to include the curvature term in the models and perform a robust comparative study using diverse data samples, in particular, Cosmic Chronometers, Type Ia supernovae, Baryon Acoustic Oscillations from DESI-DR1, and Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. This study presents the Universe age, the deceleration, the $w_{eff}$ parameter reconstruction, the redshift transition, and the best fit for the free parameters of each model. Our collected evidence from Akaike Information Criterion and Bayesian Information Criterion indicates that the best candidate is the PEDE model. Nevertheless, the variable-curvature model is the only model that exhibits a decelerated phase near $z=0$, consistent with the results from DESI.

We calculate static equilibrium sequences for white dwarfs (WDs) in quadratic symmetric teleparallel gravity, f(Q)=Q+alpha Q^2, and perform a Bayesian comparison between the negative-coupling sector, general relativity (GR), and the positive-coupling sector using mass-radius measurements. Regular interior solutions are obtained by imposing the affine field equation and selecting the analytic branch C=r exp(B/2), and are matched to asymptotically flat exterior spacetimes to determine the ADM mass. The matter sector is described by a cold carbon-12 equation of state including relativistic electron degeneracy, nuclear rest energy, and Coulomb lattice corrections. Central density is marginalized at fixed alpha with a log-uniform prior. The sequences span 10^14 <= |alpha|/cm^2 <= 10^21. Positive couplings shift the compact branch toward larger radii and lower masses, whereas negative couplings produce high-mass extensions, including an admissible equilibrium configuration with M_ADM=14.34 solar masses. Using Sirius B, QS Vir, V471 Tau B, ZTF J1901+1458, and LHS 4033, we obtain conditional posterior medians alpha_-= -1.12x10^16 cm^2 and alpha_+=1.85x10^17 cm^2. With equal prior weights, the posterior probabilities for the negative, GR, and positive sectors are 0.228, 0.378, and 0.395, respectively, with ln(B_+/GR)=0.043. Current data therefore provide conditional constraints on the coupling but no direct evidence for modified gravity, emphasizing that the ADM mass prescription and admissible stellar domain must be consistently defined when using WD observations to constrain the theory.

Radiative corrections at the percent level can shift the predictions of $\alpha$-attractor and Starobinsky-like models into the region of the $(n_s,r)$ plane preferred by ACT DR6. We show that the decisive property is not the size of a correction but whether it is removable. In the slow-roll $N$-formalism the observables are functionals of $\eps(N)$, and equality of $\eps(N)$ on an interval reconstructs the potential up to an amplitude rescaling and a shift of the canonical field. A larger class, selected by $(V/V')\Delta'={\rm const}$, preserves the leading predictions and provides a criterion for any proposed deformation. In weakly nonlocal completions of $R+R^{2}$ the improvement scale $\mu=H(\phi)$ makes the renormalization-group time one half of the logarithm of the tree potential, so the local one-loop flow passes the test and evolves the model onto the E-model family $V\propto(1-e^{-\sqrt{2/3}\,\phi/\mpl})^{p}$ with $p=2+K$. Since the divergent local beta functions of these super-renormalizable completions are one-loop exact, no higher-loop local running modifies this picture. The induced shifts are $\ord(\ln N/N^{2})$ in $n_s$, obtained in closed form for the removable part and numerically for the rest. The number of $e$-folds, which the criterion does not protect, contributes at the \red{$22\%$} level with an opposite sign. Matter-induced corrections fail the same test at leading order, which is why they shift the predictions. Among the deformations proposed since ACT DR6, an $R^{n}$ term in $f(R)$ gives $(V/V')\Delta'=\ord(N^{n-1})$, so only $n=2$ is removable, and no deformation that increases $n_s$ satisfies the criterion. For Standard Model matter, the removable channel is fixed by the Higgs nonminimal coupling alone and is $\ord(10^{-11})$, because the measured amplitude sets the coefficient of $R^{2}$ to $5.1\times10^{8}$.

We introduce a unified framework for dark energy diagnostics based on the joint phase space of the equation of state $w$ and the sound speed $c_s^2$. The resulting $w-c_s^2$ plane provides a minimal extension beyond background cosmology, capturing both the expansion history and perturbative properties within a single representation. Building on this framework, we define the microphysical flow parameter $F=dc_s^2/dw$, which encodes the dynamical relation between background evolution and perturbative response. We derive a direct connection between the present-day value $F_0$, $H_0$, and $\sigma_8$, and show that the microphysical flow parameter enables a hierarchy of increasingly stringent consistency tests that substantially reduce the viable dark energy theory space. We further demonstrate how trajectories in the $w-c_s^2$ plane distinguish models that are nearly degenerate at the level of $w(a)$, including canonical quintessence, Chaplygin gas models, and noncanonical scalar field realizations. This framework provides a compact phenomenological bridge between dark energy microphysics and future perturbation-sensitive observations, establishing $F_0$ as a useful discriminator of the kinetic structure underlying cosmic acceleration.

We consider the $d\geq 4$ non-polynomial pure gravity theories defined so that their 2D reduction to spherical symmetry minimally modifies that of General Relativity at small distances. They satisfy Birkhoff theorem and admit exact black hole solutions for an arbitrary number of couplings. These solutions have a logarithmic leading correction to the entropy and a quantum-like correction to the Newtonian potential, both arising from the regularised critical order $d=2p$ theory, which is related in even dimensions to the Euler characteristic of the 2D orbit space. These black holes can be made regular, without the need for infinite towers of corrections, using invariants of any order $p>d/2$. In even dimensions, their smoothness is linear in the number of corrections and does not require fine-tuning. We construct a class of theories admitting as unique (massless) vacuum an extremal black hole deformation of (A)dS$_4$ or M$_4$ with vanishing entropy, so that Nernst's third law of thermodynamics is satisfied without discontinuity in the entropy. We show that a Maxwell field does not disrupt the regularity of the metric, and that simple non-minimal couplings in the action enable to regularise the electric field. Considering infinite towers of corrections, we construct quasi-regular black holes with one horizon as well as regular (A)dS-core ones with a near-extremal inner horizon for any mass. When charged, these two types of black holes prevent or tame the mass inflation provided the mass and charge satisfy an inequality of the form $M > \alpha \ell + \beta Q^2 / \ell$, where $\alpha$ and $\beta$ are numerical factors depending on the specific model, while $\ell$ is the length scale controlling the high-energy corrections. The quasi-regular black holes are sufficient to resolve the Coulomb singularity without the need for non-minimal couplings.

Semi-Symmetric metric gravity extends general relativity by introducing a semi-symmetric connection with vectorial torsion. The modified field equations contain extra contributions from the torsion vector and its derivatives. Assuming a purely radial torsion vector consistent with spherical symmetry, we derive two exact vacuum solutions. The metric depends on two integration constants, defining the Schwarzschild radius and a new cosmological-type length scale. Classical Solar System tests, including perihelion precession, light deflection, and radar echo delay, are used to constrain the new length scale and the associated deviations from general relativity. The thermodynamic properties of the resulting black hole solutions are investigated, and it is shown that the vector perturbation sector is linearly stable.

The absence of an algebraic relation between the Ricci scalar and the trace of the energy-momentum tensor in Non-Conservative Unimodular Gravity ($\mathrm{NUG}$) opens new possibilities for constructing spacetime geometries from prescribed curvature profiles. Exploiting this property, we develop a curvature reconstruction framework in which traversable wormhole geometries are generated directly from a prescribed curvature profile rather than from the matter sector or the metric functions. The reconstruction procedure is implemented for a power-law Ricci scalar combined with three different redshift functions, leading to distinct classes of static and spherically symmetric wormhole solutions. We investigate their geometrical properties, asymptotic behavior and null energy condition. Although the radial null energy condition remains necessarily violated at the throat, we show that the dimensionless curvature parameter controls the intensity of the exotic matter supporting the wormhole, while the curvature exponent determines the global asymptotic structure of the reconstructed spacetime. In particular, the critical configuration separating asymptotically flat solutions from geometries with residual asymptotic deformation naturally emerges from the reconstruction scheme. These results establish curvature reconstruction from prescribed Ricci scalar profiles as a viable geometrical framework for generating compact-object spacetimes within non-conservative unimodular gravity.

While localized astrophysical sources can generate macroscopic graviton squeezing, their observable quantum signatures at far-field detectors remain unresolved. In this work, we investigate the propagation dynamics of the squeezed states using spatial quantum optics methods to evaluate correlation functions accessible to a local observer. Crucially, we reveal a severe kinematic conflict in same-cone measurements, which highly suppresses local quantum coherence. Consequently, these macroscopically squeezed states appear classically thermal to a single detector. Our results demonstrate that global squeezing does not guarantee local observability, and the measurable quantum signatures may be significantly weaker than what would be expected from the overall squeezing parameter of the state.

Gravitational waves from extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs) are precise probes of the environment of the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) they orbit. If an SMBH is actively accreting, the surrounding gaseous disk can impart hydrodynamic torques on and assist the formation of EMRIs within it. Such disk-EMRI interactions could leave measurable imprints on future observations by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), and potentially provide a route to constrain disk properties using gravitational wave observations. We present herein a detailed relativistic analysis of these hydrodynamic interactions using linear theory. We first derive a Lagrangian governing the evolution of spiral density waves in the disk and use it to formulate a balance law for the transfer of angular momentum between the EMRI and disk. We then develop a stable numerical scheme which can be used to treat corotation resonances and find modal solutions in thin disks up to very large azimuthal numbers. Using this numerical scheme, we explore how SMBH spins, EMRI semi-major axes, disk scale heights, sound speed gradients, and surface density gradients affect the interaction between accretion disks and circular EMRIs. Our results show that relativistic effects substantially alter disk-EMRI interactions once the secondary orbit is within $\mathcal{O}(25)$ Schwarzschild radii from the SMBH. Comparing our numerical results with recent analytical models suggests that the impact of pressure gradients and softening of the gravitational potential is important for disks with finite thickness and cannot be captured by tuning the torque cutoff parameters in the analytical models. The framework provided here will help analyze the formation scenarios of EMRIs and build relativistically accurate waveform models of disk-EMRI interactions.