Probing effective field theory corrections with quasinormal modes and gravitational lensing in Reissner–Nordström black holes

Abstract Effective field theory (EFT) provides a systematic framework for parametrizing possible higher-energy corrections to general relativity through higher-curvature interactions. In this work, we investigate gravitational lensing in both weak- and strong-field regimes for EFT-corrected Reissner-Nordström black hole spacetimes, focusing on both weakly charged and near-extremal configurations. Using the strong deflection limit formalism, we derive the corresponding corrections to the deflection angle, photon sphere radius, critical impact parameter, and strong lensing coefficients induced by higher-derivative curvature-electromagnetic interactions. Our analysis is restricted to purely geometrical corrections associated with modifications of the background spacetime geometry, without including polarization-dependent corrections to the photon propagation law. We show that strong gravitational lensing observables in charged black hole backgrounds can provide complementary probes of effective interactions between gravity and electromagnetic fields. These results suggest that future high-precision observations of strong lensing phenomena may place constraints on higher-curvature EFT couplings beyond general relativity.