Speaker
Description
Black hole X-ray binaries (BHXRBs) provide an exceptional laboratory for studying the physics of accretion under strong gravity. In particular, energy-dependent variability and X-ray time lags carry key information about the geometry, dynamics, and evolution of the accretion flow. In this talk, I will review the current state-of-the-art in spectral-timing studies of BHXRBs, focusing on how lags and energy-dependent variability can provide information on the coupling between the accretion disc and the Comptonization region. Observational results will also be discussed in the context of modern spectral-timing models, highlighting how the combination of spectral, timing (and polarimetric) observables is opening new avenues for probing the structure and evolution of accretion flows around black holes.