An observational overview of black hole X-ray binaries

Several key advances have been made in recent years regarding our understanding of the behavior of black hole X-ray binary (BHB) outbursts. These have been driven by coordinated multi-wavelength observing campaigns, X-ray and multi-band spectral-timing studies, and detailed modeling of the emitting components (i.e., accretion disks, coronae, jets, and X-ray reflection signatures). I will give an overview of the current knowns and unknowns derived from observations and modeling of BHBs, and discuss the connections between these measurable quantities and the latest theoretical predictions from general relativistic radiation-magnetohydrodynamic (GRRMHD) simulations.