Resolving the Photon Ring: Theory and Analysis Methods for Black Hole Imaging

Watch a General Relativity Seminar presentation exploring the groundbreaking work of the Event Horizon Telescope in capturing interferometric images of supermassive black holes M87* and SgrA*. Delve into the theory of photon rings - subtle brightness enhancements within these images that result from strong gravitational lensing around black holes. Learn about the photon shell's role in universal lensing structure and discover current initiatives for achieving higher resolution imaging through new instrumentation and analysis methods. Examine how spectro-temporal autocorrelations from black hole environments can be utilized to study strong lensing effects, potentially opening new avenues for testing general relativity in extreme gravitational conditions.