Speaker
Description
Extensions of general relativity and of the Standard Model of particle physics predict the existence of exotic compact objects (ECOs) that can achieve compactness high enough to mimic black holes. For the first time, advances in observational techniques such as very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) allow us to probe supermassive black hole candidates at high spatial resolution and test some of these predictions. In this context, understanding the astrophysics of ECOs becomes essential for predicting their observational appearance and identifying signatures that distinguish them from black holes. In this talk, we review the current state of the art in simulating the observational properties of these objects in the electromagnetic channel and discuss their viability in light of the most recent observations.