arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to José M. M. Senovilla.
We review the first modern singularity theorem, published by Penrose in 1965. This is the first genuine post-Einstenian result in General Relativity, where the fundamental and fruitful concept of closed trapped surface was introduced. We include historical remarks, an appraisal of the theorem's impact, and relevant current and future work that belongs to its legacy.
Gravitational double layers, unlike their classical electromagnetic counterparts, are thought to be forbidden in gravity theories. It has been recently shown, however, that they are feasible in, for instance, gravity theories with a Lagrangian quadratic in the curvature. This is surprising with many potential consequences and the possibility of new physical behaviours. While a clear interpretation seems elusive, several lines of research are open. I present the field equations for double layers, the new physical quantities arising, and several explicit examples.
I revisit a known solution of the Einstein field equations to show that it describes the formation of non-spherical black holes by the collapse of pure electromagnetic monochromatic radiation. Both positive and negative masses are feasible without ever violating the dominant energy condition. The solution can also be used to model the destruction of naked singularities and the evaporation of white holes by emission or reception of light.
I analyze the properties of thin shells through which the scalar curvature R is discontinuous in gravity theories with R + R^2 Lagrangian on the bulk. These shells/domain walls are of a new kind because they possess, in addition to the standard energy-momentum tensor, an external energy flux vector, an external scalar pressure/tension and, most exotic of all, another energy-momentum tensor contribution resembling classical dipole distributions on a shell: a double layer. I prove that all these contributions are necessary to make the entire energy-momentum tensor divergence-free. This is the first known occurrence of such a type of double layer allowed in a gravity theory. I present explicit examples in constant-curvature 5-dimensional bulks, with a brief study of their properties: new physical behaviors arise.
The Oppenheimer-Snyder solution models a homogeneous round dust cloud collapsing to a black hole. Inside its event horizon there is a region through which trapped surfaces pass. We try to determine exactly where the boundary of this region meets the centre of the cloud. We present explicit examples of the relevant trapped (topological) spheres; they extend into the exterior vacuum region, and are carefully matched at the junction between the cloud and the vacuum.
I present the junction conditions for F(R) theories of gravity and their implications: the generalized Israel conditions and equations. These junction conditions are necessary to construct global models of stars, galaxies, etc., where a vacuum region surrounds a finite body in equilibrium, as well as to describe shells of matter and braneworlds, and they are stricter than in General Relativity in both cases. For the latter case, I obtain the field equations for the energy-momentum tensor on the shell/brane, and they turn out to be, remarkably, the same as in General Relativity. An exceptional case for quadratic F(R), previously overlooked in the literature, is shown to arise allowing for a discontinuous R, and leading to an energy-momentum content on the shell with unexpected properties, such as non-vanishing components normal to the shell and a new term resembling classical dipole distributions. For the former case, they do not only require the agreement of the first and second fundamental forms on both sides of the matching hypersurface, but also that the scalar curvature R and its first derivative agree there too. I argue that, as a consequence, matched solutions in General Relativity are not solutions of F(R)-models generically. Several relevant examples are analyzed.
A number of scalar invariant characterizations of the Kerr solution are presented. These characterizations come in the form of {\em quality factors} defined in stationary space-times. A quality factor is a scalar quantity varying in the interval $[0,1]$ with the value 1 being attained if and only if the space-time is locally isometric to the Kerr solution. No knowledge of the Kerr solution is required to compute these quality factors. A number of different possibilities arise depending on whether the space-time is Ricci-flat and asymptotically flat, just Ricci-flat, or Ricci non-flat. In each situation a number of quality factors are constructed and analysed. The relevance of these quality factors is clear in any situation where one seeks a rigorous formulation of the statement that a space-time is "close" to the Kerr solution, such as: its non-linear stability problem, the asymptotic settlement of a radiating isolated system undergoing gravitational collapse, or in the formulation of some uniqueness results.
Small deformations of marginally outer trapped surfaces (MOTS) are studied by using the stability operator introduced by Andersson-Mars-Simon. Novel formulae for the principal eigenvalue are presented. A characterization of the many marginally outer trapped tubes (MOTT) passing through a given MOTS is given, and the possibility of selecting a privileged MOTT is discussed. This is related to the concept of `core' of a black hole: a minimal region that one should remove from the spacetime in order to get rid of all possible closed trapped surfaces. In spherical symmetry one can prove that the spherical MOTT is the boundary of a core. I argue how similar results may hold in general spacetimes.
Small deformations of marginally (outer) trapped surfaces are considered by using their stability operator. In the case of spherical symmetry, one can use these deformations on any marginally trapped round sphere to prove several interesting results. The concept of 'core' of a black hole is introduced: it is a minimal region that one should remove from the spacetime in order to get rid of all possible closed trapped surfaces. In spherical symmetry one can prove that the spherical marginally trapped tube is the boundary of a core. By using a novel formula for the principal eigenvalue of the stability operator, I will argue how to pursue similar results in general black-hole spacetimes.
A spacelike surface S immersed in a 4-dimensional Lorentzian manifold will be said to be umbilical along a direction N normal to S if the second fundamental form along N is proportional to the first fundamental form of S. In particular, S is pseudo-umbilical if it is umbilical along the mean curvature vector field H, and (totally) umbilical if it is umbilical along all possible normal directions. The possibility that the surface be umbilical along the unique normal direction orthogonal to H --- "ortho-umbilical" surface--- is also considered. I prove that the necessary and sufficient condition for S to be umbilical along a normal direction is that two independent Weingarten operators (and, a fortiori, all of them) commute, or equivalently that the shape tensor be diagonalizable on S. The umbilical direction is then uniquely determined. This can be seen to be equivalent to a condition relating the normal curvature and the appropriate part of the Riemann tensor of the spacetime. In particular, for conformally flat spacetimes (including Lorentz space forms) the necessary and sufficient condition is that the normal curvature vanishes. Some further consequences are analyzed, and the extension of the main results to arbitrary signatures and higher dimensions is briefly discussed.
I review the definition and types of (closed) trapped surfaces. Surprising global properties are shown, such as their "clairvoyance" and the possibility that they enter into flat portions of the spacetime. Several results on the interplay of trapped surfaces with vector fields and with spatial hypersurfaces are presented. Applications to the quasi-local definition of Black Holes are discussed, with particular emphasis set onto marginally trapped tubes, trapping horizons and the boundary of the region with closed trapped surfaces. Finally, the core of a trapped region is introduced, and its importance discussed.
The algebraic classification of the Weyl tensor in arbitrary dimension n is recovered by means of the principal directions of its "superenergy" tensor. This point of view can be helpful in order to compute the Weyl aligned null directions explicitly, and permits to obtain the algebraic type of the Weyl tensor by computing the principal eigenvalue of rank-2 symmetric future tensors. The algebraic types compatible with states of intrinsic gravitational radiation can then be explored. The underlying ideas are general, so that a classification of arbitrary tensors in general dimension can be achieved.
We consider the region $\mathscr{T}$ in spacetime containing future-trapped closed surfaces and its boundary $\B$, and derive some of their general properties. We then concentrate on the case of spherical symmetry, but the methods we use are general and applicable to other situations. We argue that closed trapped surfaces have a non-local property, "clairvoyance", which is inherited by $\B$. We prove that $\B$ is not a marginally trapped tube in general, and that it can have portions in regions whose whole past is flat. For asymptotically flat black holes, we identify a general past barrier, well inside the event horizon, to the location of $\B$ under physically reasonable conditions. We also define the core $\mathscr{Z}$ of the trapped region as that part of $\mathscr{T}$ which is indispensable to sustain closed trapped surfaces. We prove that the unique spherically symmetric dynamical horizon is the boundary of such a core, and we argue that this may serve to single it out. To illustrate the results, some explicit examples are discussed, namely Robertson-Walker geometries and the imploding Vaidya spacetime.
Standard singularity theorems are proven in Lorentzian manifolds of arbitrary dimension n if they contain closed trapped submanifolds of arbitrary co-dimension. By using the mean curvature vector to characterize trapped submanifolds, a unification of the several possibilities for the boundary conditions in the traditional theorems and their generalization to arbitrary co-dimension is achieved. The classical convergence conditions must be replaced by a condition on sectional curvatures, or tidal forces, which reduces to the former in the cases of co-dimension 1, 2 or n.
We discuss the boundary of the spacetime region through each point of which a trapped surface passes, first in some simple soluble examples, and then in the self-similar Vaidya solution. For the latter the boundary must lie strictly inside the event horizon. We present a class of closed trapped surfaces extending strictly outside the apparent horizon.
We provide a simple proof that conformally semi-symmetric spacetimes are actually semi-symmetric. We also present a complete refined classification of the semi-symmetric spacetimes.
The boundary of the region in spacetime containing future-trapped closed surfaces is considered. In asymptotically flat spacetimes, this boundary does not need to be the event horizon nor a dynamical/trapping horizon. Some properties of this boundary and its localization are analyzed, and illustrated with examples. In particular, fully explicit future-trapped compact surfaces penetrating into flat portions of a Vaidya spacetime are presented.
The n-dimensional Lorentzian manifolds with vanishing second covariant derivative of the Riemann tensor (2-symmetric spacetimes) are characterized and classified. The main result is that either they are locally symmetric or they have a covariantly constant null vector field, in this case defining a subfamily of Brinkmann's class in n dimensions. Related issues and applications are considered, and new open questions presented.