Non-linear electrodynamics (NLED) theories are well-motivated extensions of QED in the strong field regime, and have long been studied in the search for regular black hole (BH) solutions. We consider two well-studied and well-motivated NLED models coupled to General Relativity: the Euler-Heisenberg model and the Bronnikov model. After carefully accounting for the effective geometry induced by the NLED corrections, we determine the shadows of BHs within these two models. We then compare these to the shadow of the supermassive BH M87* recently imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration. In doing so, we are able to extract upper limits on the black hole magnetic charge, thus providing novel constraints on fundamental physics from this new extraordinary probe.

Searching for violations of the no-hair theorem (NHT) is a powerful way to test gravity, and more generally fundamental physics, particularly with regards to the existence of additional scalar fields. The first observation of a black hole (BH) shadow by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has opened a new direct window onto tests of gravity in the strong-field regime, including probes of violations of the NHT. We consider two scenarios described by the Einstein-Maxwell equations of General Relativity and electromagnetism, to which we add a scalar field. In the first case we consider a minimally-coupled scalar field with a potential, whereas in the second case the field is conformally-coupled to curvature. In both scenarios we construct charged BH solutions, which are found to carry primary scalar hair. We then compute the shadows cast by these two BHs as a function of their electric charge and scalar hair parameter. Comparing these shadows to the shadow of M87* recently imaged by the EHT collaboration, we set constraints on the amount of scalar hair carried by these two BHs. The conformally-coupled case admits a regime for the hair parameter, compatible with EHT constraints, describing a so-called mutated Reissner-Nordström BH: this solution was recently found to effectively mimic a wormhole. Our work provides novel constraints on fundamental physics, and in particular on violations of the no-hair theorem and the existence of additional scalar fields, from the shadow of M87*.

Using a one-dimensional minisuperspace model with a dimensionless ratio E E P l , we study the initial singularity problem at the quantum level for the closed rainbow cosmology with a homogeneous, isotropic classical space-time background. We derive the classical Hamiltonian within the framework of Schutz's formalism for an ideal fluid with a cosmological constant. We characterize the behavior of the system at the early stages of the universe evolution through analyzing the relevant shapes for the potential sector of the classical Hamiltonian for various matter sources, each separately modified by two rainbow functions. We show that for both rainbow universe models presented here, there is the possibility of eliminating the initial singularity by forming a potential barrier and static universe for a non-zero value of the scale factor. We investigate their quantum stability and show that for an energy-dependent space-time geometry with energies comparable with the Planck energy, the non-zero value of the scale factor may be stable. It is shown that under certain constraints the rainbow universe model filled with an exotic matter as a domain wall fluid plus a cosmological constant can result in a non-singular harmonic universe. In addition, we demonstrate that the harmonically oscillating universe with respect to the scale factor is sensitive to E E P l and that at high energies it may become stable quantum mechanically. Through a Schrödinger-Wheeler-De Witt (SWD) equation obtained from the quantization of the classical Hamiltonian, we also extract the wave packet of the universe with a focus on the early stages of the evolution. The resulting wave packet supports the existence of a bouncing non-singular universe within the context of gravity's rainbow proposal.

Horizon-scale images of black holes (BHs) and their shadows have opened an unprecedented window onto tests of gravity and fundamental physics in the strong-field regime. We consider a wide range of well-motivated deviations from classical General Relativity (GR) BH solutions, and constrain them using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observations of Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), connecting the size of the bright ring of emission to that of the underlying BH shadow and exploiting high-precision measurements of Sgr A*’s mass-to-distance ratio. The scenarios we consider, and whose fundamental parameters we constrain, include various regular BHs, string-inspired space-times, violations of the no-hair theorem driven by additional fields, alternative theories of gravity, novel fundamental physics frameworks, and BH mimickers including well-motivated wormhole and naked singularity space-times. We demonstrate that the EHT image of Sgr A* places particularly stringent constraints on models predicting a shadow size larger than that of a Schwarzschild BH of a given mass, with the resulting limits in some cases surpassing cosmological ones. Our results are among the first tests of fundamental physics from the shadow of Sgr A* and, while the latter appears to be in excellent agreement with the predictions of GR, we have shown that a number of well-motivated alternative scenarios, including BH mimickers, are far from being ruled out at present.

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The existence of a minimal measurable length as a characteristic length in the Planck scale is one of the main features of quantum gravity and has been widely explored in the context. Various different deformations of spacetime have been employed successfully for the purpose. However, polymer quantization approach is a relatively new and dynamic field towards the quantum gravity phenomenology, which emerges from the symmetric sector of the loop quantum gravity. In this article, we extend the standard ideas of polymer quantization to find a new and tighter bound on the polymer deformation parameter. Our protocol relies on an opto-mechanical experimental setup that was originally proposed to explore some interesting phenomena by embedding the minimal length into the standard canonical commutation relation. We extend this scheme to probe the polymer length deformed canonical commutation relation of the center of mass mode of a mechanical oscillator with a mass around the Planck scale. The method utilizes the novelty of exchanging the relevant mechanical information with a high intensity optical pulse inside an optical cavity. We also demonstrate that our proposal is within the reach of the current technologies and, thus, it could uncover a decent realization of quantum gravitational phenomena thorough a simple table-top experiment.

Thanks to the release of the extraordinary EHT image of shadow attributed to the M87* supermassive black hole (SMBH), we have a novel window to assess the validity of fundamental physics in the strong-field regime. Motivated by this, we consider Johannsen & Psaltis metric parameterized by mass, spin, and an additional dimensionless hair parameter . This parametric framework in the high rotation regimes provides a well-behaved bed to the strong-gravity test of the no-hair theorem (NHT) using the EHT data. Incorporating the into the standard Kerr spacetime enrich it in the sense that, depending on setting the positive and negative values for that, we deal with alternative compact objects: deformed Kerr naked singularity and Kerr BH solutions, respectively. Shadows associated with these two possible solutions indicate that the deformation parameter affects the geometry shape of standard shadow such that it becomes more oblate and prolate with < 0 and > 0, respectively. By scanning the window associated with three shadow observables oblateness, deviation from circularity, and shadow diameter, we perform a numerical analysis within the range a * = 0.9 ∓ 0.1 of the dimensionless rotation parameter, to find the constraints on the hair parameter in both possible solutions. For both possible signs of , we extract a variety of upper bounds that are in interplay with a * . Although by approaching the rotation parameters to the extreme limit, the allowable range of both hair parameters becomes narrower, the hairy Kerr BH solution is a more promising candidate to play the role of the alternative compact object instead of the standard Kerr BH. The lack of tension between hairy Kerr BH with the current observation of the EHT shadow of the M87* SMBH carries this message that there is the possibility of NHT violation.

By presenting a relation between the average energy of the ensemble of probe photons and the energy density of the universe, in the context of gravity's rainbow or the doubly general relativity scenario, we introduce a rainbow FRW universe model. By analyzing the fixed points in the flat FRW model modified by two well-known rainbow functions, we find that the finite time singularity avoidance (i.e. Big Bang) may still remain as a problem. Then we follow the "emergent universe" scenario in which there is no beginning of time and consequently there is no Big-Bang singularity. Moreover, we study the impact of high energy quantum gravity modifications related to the gravity's rainbow on the stability conditions of an "Einstein static universe" (ESU). We find that independent of the particular rainbow function, the positive energy condition dictates a positive spatial curvature for the universe. In fact, without raising a nonphysical energy condition in the quantum gravity regimes, we can observe agreement between gravity's rainbow scenario and the basic assumption of the modern version of the "emergent universe". We show that in the absence and presence of an energy-dependent cosmological constant ( ), a stable Einstein static solution is available versus the homogeneous and linear scalar perturbations under the variety of the obtained conditions. Also, we explore the stability of ESU against the vector and tensor perturbations.