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Research Interests

Gravity in strong field regime, Gravitational wave signatures of modified gravity, Extreme-mass-ratio inspiral and supermassive black holes, Stability of horizonless compact objects, Black hole shadow and quasi-normal modes, Hairy black holes, Tidal response of black holes and associated Love numbers, Quantum aspects of gravity. 

Research Goal

The primary objective of my research is to understand the gravitational characteristics and observational signatures of ultra-compact objects with and without horizons, such as black holes (BHs) and compact stars. These objects provide a unique way to probe the strong field aspects of gravity, where the influence of higher curvature terms is most pronounced. In these extreme gravitational environments, deviations from Einstein's general relativity (GR) are potentially magnified, presenting an ideal test bed to detect departures that remain obscured in weaker gravitational fields. Leveraging recent advancements in gravitational wave (GW) and shadow observations, we aim to capitalize on this opportunity to explore and detect such deviations. In this endeavour, GWs emerge as the most powerful tool for their ability to encompass the fundamental attributes of gravity across a vast spectrum of length scales, from their origination in the regions of extreme gravity to their propagation through the cosmos into weak field regimes.

My pursuit is motivated by recognizing the fact that the framework of GR serves as only an approximation to the true nature of gravity and is afflicted with various shortcomings. Thus, continuous scrutiny of GR is essential to explore its limitations at length scales beyond those of solar and stellar systems, where observational evidence supporting GR remains limited. Also, unlike other fundamental forces of nature, there is still no consistent quantum theory of gravity and all attempts of reconciling GR with quantum mechanics have remained incomplete.  Moreover, even at the classical level, GR may receive corrections in strong gravity regimes, such as near the vicinity of merging BHs, due to the nontrivial effects arising from various higher curvature terms.

These limitations and shortcomings of GR prompt us to study modified theories, which offer a robust means to effectively model deviations from GR and provide valuable inputs towards the longed-for complete theory of gravity. However, in the absence of such a fully consistent framework, it is imperative to constrain these alternative theories through observations because the quest for a complete theory is arguably as significant as eliminating potential substitutes. In this spirit, I aim to utilize a blend of theoretical analysis and observational methods to constrain various intriguing departures from GR, particularly within the realms of strong gravitational fields.