Naked black holes

This article gives an elementary review of gravitational collapse and the cosmic censorship hypothesis. Known models of collapse resulting in the formation of black holes and naked singularities are summarized. These models, when taken together, suggest that the censorship hypothesis may not hold in classical general relativity. The nature of the quantum processes that take place near a naked singularity, and their possible implication for observations, is briefly discussed. This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

HEP Experiments. Learn more. Rajibul Shaikh. Published in: JCAP 10 DOI: Citations per year 1 0 7 Abstract: arXiv.

A black hole horizon brings the added benefit of hiding an embarrassment of the theory that predicts it. Fortunately, our inability to determine the whereabouts of infalling matter as its density diverges near this singularity has no influence on the outside world, which remains protected by the horizon. If such regions of spacetime affect us, we would not be able to predict our future using general relativity. To avoid such a crisis, the physicist Roger Penrose postulated in the cosmic censorship hypothesis , which conjectures that there might be constraints prohibiting naked singularities in nature.

In general relativity , a naked singularity is a hypothetical gravitational singularity without an event horizon. In a black hole , the singularity is completely enclosed by a boundary known as the event horizon , inside which the gravitational force of the singularity is so strong that light cannot escape. Hence, objects inside the event horizon—including the singularity itself—cannot be directly observed. A naked singularity, by contrast, would be observable from the outside.