physical replication compatibilty

Dear PostgreSQL Community,
I am currently planning a major version upgrade from PostgreSQL 16 to
PostgreSQL 17. I have three node patroni cluster. While I am aware that
logical replication is the standard approach for cross-version migrations,
I am curious about the feasibility of physical streaming replication in
this specific scenario.
Specifically, I would like to clarify:

1. Is physical streaming replication backward compatible between these
two major versions?
2. Since many data files remain consistent between versions, is there
any supported method to leverage physical block-level replication to
minimize the initial data synchronization time before a cutover?

I understand that WAL formats and system catalogs typically change between
major releases, but I wanted to confirm if there are any modern workarounds
or "late-binding" techniques available in the v17 ecosystem.
Thank you for your time and expertise.
Best regards,