arXiv subjects

Pankaj S. Joshi

Publications and source records attributed to Pankaj S. Joshi.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Shadow of a Naked Singularity without Photon Sphere

It is generally believed that the shadows of either a black hole or naked singularity arise due to photon spheres developing in these spacetimes. Here we propose a new spherically symmetric naked singularity spacetime solution of Einstein equations which has no photon sphere, and we show that the singularity casts a shadow in the absence of the photon sphere. We discuss some novel features of this shadow and the lightlike geodesics in this spacetime. We compare the shadow of the naked singularity here with shadows cast by Schwarzschild black hole and the first type of Joshi-Malafarina-Narayan (JMN1) naked singularity, where for the last two spacetimes the shadow is formed due to the presence of a photon sphere. It is seen, in particular, that the size of shadow of the singularity is considerably smaller than that of a black hole. Our analysis shows that the shadow of this naked singularity is distinguishable from the shadow of a Schwarzschild black hole and the JMN1 naked singularity. These results are useful and important in the context of recent observations of shadow of the M87 galactic center.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

Perihelion Precession and Shadows near Blackholes and Naked Singularities

It is now known that, apart from black holes, some naked singularities can also cast shadows which provide their possible observable signatures. We examine the relevant question here as to how to distinguish then these entities from each other, in terms of further physical signatures. We point out that black holes always admit timelike bound orbits having positive perihelion precession. Also, while a naked singularity with a photon sphere can cast a shadow, it could also admit positive perihelion precession for such orbits, thereby mimicking a black hole. This indicates that compact objects with photon spheres (shadows) always admit positive perihelion precession of timelike bound orbits around them. On the other hand, a naked singularity without a photon sphere could admit both positive and negative perihelion precession but need not have a shadow. In this paper, we construct a spacetime configuration which has a central naked singularity but no photon sphere, and it can give both shadow and a negative perihelion precession. Our results imply that, whereas the presence of a shadow and a positive perihelion precession implies either a black hole or a naked singularity, the presence of a shadow and a negative perihelion precession simultaneously would imply a naked singularity only. We discuss our results in the context of stellar motions (motion of the `S' stars) around the Sgr-A* galactic center.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2020

Strong curvature naked singularities in spherically symmetric perfect fluid collapse

We investigate here the locally naked singularity formed due to a spherically symmetric inhomogeneous collapsing cloud having non-zero isotropic pressure, in terms of its strength. Sufficient condition provided by Clarke and Krolak for it to be Tipler strong has been used to restrict the parameters that represent the non-linear relation between the physical radius and the radial coordinate of the outgoing radial null geodesic at the singular center. Studying end state of a collapsing cloud requires information about the dynamics of collapse, which is unknown in a general scenario. Hence we study small perturbations to the mass profile for inhomogeneous dust, which is possible using the formalism developed here. This perturbed mass profile, in turn, gives rise to non-zero pressure. We show the existence of a non-zero measure set of initial data giving rise to such strong curvature naked singularity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Mode stability of a near-extremal Kerr superspinar

We study here the quasi-normal mode stability of a near-extremal Kerr superspinar, an exotic spinning compact object that exceeds the Kerr bound, under gravitational perturbations. Despite previous beliefs that these objects would be mode unstable, we show by analytically treating the Teukolsky equations that these objects are in fact mode stable under almost all (barring a zero-measure set) boundary conditions.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Can we distinguish black holes from naked singularities by the images of their accretion disks?

We study here images of thin accretion disks around black holes and two classes of naked singularity spacetimes and compare these scenarios. The naked singularity models which have photon spheres have single accretion disk with its inner edge lying outside the photon sphere. The images and shadows created by these models mimic those of black holes. It follows, therefore, that further and more detailed analysis of the images and shadows structure in such case is needed to confirm or otherwise the existence of an event horizon for the compact objects such as the galactic centers. However, naked singularity models which do not have any photon spheres can have either double disks or a single disk extending up to the singularity. The images obtained from such models significantly differ from those of black holes. Moreover, the images of the two classes of naked singularities in this latter case, differ also from one another, thereby allowing them to be distinguish from one another through the observation of the images.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

On viability of isentropic perfect fluid collapse with a linear equation of state

The gravitational collapse of a barotropic perfect fluid having the Equation of State (EoS) $p=kρ$, where $k$ is constant, is studied here in the framework of general relativity. We examine the restrictions on the Misner-Sharp mass function, because of the introduction of such an EoS, in terms of the compatibility of a certain pair of quasi-linear partial differential equations, obtained from Einstein's field equations. We find that except when this system of PDEs reduces to ODEs because of additional symmetries imposed on the spacetimes, or when they become compatible with each other in some special situations, consistent solution to perfect fluid collapse with linear EoS is not available. The end state of collapse with no such constraint of EoS has also been investigated. Since considering arbitrary pressures in a collapsing cloud to study its end state is difficult as this requires information about the dynamics of collapse not known in general, we consider small perturbations to mass profiles corresponding to inhomogeneous dust collapse. This, in turn, provides small pressure perturbations to the otherwise pressureless fluid. The dependence of visibility or otherwise of the singularity on initial conditions of collapse, in the presence or absence of such perturbations is studied numerically. As long as no linear EoS is imposed on the matter field, no incompatibility issue between its corresponding pair of PDEs arise, unlike the case when $k$ is restricted to be a constant.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

An Approach to Stability Analyses in General Relativity via Symplectic Geometry

We begin with a review of the statements of non-linear, linear and mode stability of autonomous dynamical systems in classical mechanics, using symplectic geometry. We then discuss what the phase space and the Hamiltonian of general relativity are, what constitutes a dynamical system, and subsequently draw a formal analogy between the notions of stability in these two theories. Our approach here is pedagogical and geometric, and considerably simplifies a formal understanding of the statements regarding the stability of stationary solutions of general relativity. In particular, the governing equations of motion of a Hamiltonian dynamical system are simply the flow equations of the associated symplectic Hamiltonian vector field, defined on phase space, and the non-linear stability analysis of its critical points have simply to do with the divergence of its flow there. Further, the linear stability of a critical point is related to the properties of the tangent flow of the Hamiltonian vector field. Further, we posit that a study of the genericity of a particular black hole or naked singularity spacetime forming as an endstate of gravitational collapse is equivalent to an inquiry of how sensitive the orbits of the symplectic Hamiltonian vector field of general relativity are to changes in initial data. We demonstrate this by conducting a restricted non-linear stability analysis of the formation of a Schwarzschild black hole, working in the usual initial value formulation of general relativity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Gravitomagnetism and Pulsar Beam Precession near a Kerr Black Hole

A rotating black hole causes the spin-axis of a nearby pulsar to precess due to geodetic and gravitomagnetic frame-dragging effects. The aim of our theoretical work here is to explore how this spin-precession can modify the rate at which pulses are received on earth. Towards this end, we obtain the complete evolution of the beam vectors of pulsars moving on equatorial circular orbits in the Kerr spacetime, relative to asymptotic fixed observers. We proceed to establish that such spin-precession effects can significantly modify observed pulse frequencies and, in specific, we find that the observed pulse frequency rises sharply as the orbit shrinks, potentially providing a new way to locate horizons of Kerr black holes, even if observed for a very short time period. We also discuss implications for detections of sub-millisecond pulsars, pulsar nulling, quasi-periodic oscillations, multiply-peaked pulsar Fourier profiles and how Kerr black holes can potentially be distinguished from naked singularities.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Timelike Geodesics in Naked Singularity and Black Hole Spacetimes II

We derive here the orbit equations of particles in naked singularity spacetimes, namely the Bertrand (BST) and Janis-Newman-Winicour (JNW) geometries, and for the Schwarzschild black hole. We plot the orbit equations and find the Perihelion precession of the orbits of particles in the BST and JNW spacetimes and compare these with the Schwarzschild black hole spacetime. We find and discuss different distinguishing properties in the effective potentials and orbits of particle in BST, JNW and Schwarzschild spacetimes, and the particle trajectories are shown for the matching of BST with an external Schwarzschild spacetime. We show that the nature of perihelion precession of orbits in BST and Schwarzschild spacetimes are similar, while in the JNW case the nature of perihelion precession of orbits is opposite to that of the Schwarzschild and BST spacetimes. Other interesting and important features of these orbits are pointed out.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Timelike geodesics in Naked Singularity and Black Hole Spacetimes

In this paper, we derive the solutions of orbit equations for a class of naked singularity spacetimes, and compare these with timelike orbits, that is, particle trajectories in the Schwarzschild black hole spacetime. The Schwarzschild and naked singularity spacetimes considered here can be formed as end state of a spherically symmetric gravitational collapse of a matter cloud. We find and compare the perihelion precession of the particle orbits in the naked singularity spacetime with that of the Schwarzschild black hole. We then discuss different distinguishable physical properties of timelike orbits in the black hole and naked singularity spacetimes and implications are discussed. Several interesting differences follow from our results, including the conclusion that in naked singularity spacetimes, particle bound orbits can precess in the opposite direction of particle motion, which is not possible in Schwarzschild spacetime.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

A General Relativistic Approach to Small-Scale Structure Formation

We treat here general relativistically the issue of galaxy formation, which is a major problem in cosmology. While the current models use a top-hat collapse model, coupled with Newtonian virialization technique to balance the gravitationally collapsing matter cloud into a galaxy, we present here a general relativistic toy model to achieve such a purpose. We consider a relativistic gravitational collapse that begins from physically reasonable and non-singular initial conditions and that tends to an equilibrium configuration in asymptotic time. The matching of different spacetime regions is explicitly demonstrated to establish the feasibility of the model. This helps us understand better how the formation of galaxy-like objects and dark matter halos are likely to develop as the universe evolves, using a general relativistic technique. While the toy model we present here uses a somewhat simplistic collapse framework, this, however, has the potential to develop into a more realistic scenario, as we have noted. As we point out, the attractive feature here is, we have explicitly demonstrated that equilibrium configurations can be formed, with suitable matchings made, which go some way to treat the problem of galaxy formation within a full general relativity framework.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Gravitational Collapse of Baryonic and Dark matter

A massive star undergoes a continual gravitational collapse when the pressures inside the collapsing star become insufficient to balance the pull of gravity. The Physics of gravitational collapse of stars is well studied. Using general relativistic techniques one can show that the final fate of such a catastrophic collapse can be a black hole or a naked singularity, depending upon the initial conditions of gravitational collapse. While stars are made of baryonic matter whose collapse is well studied, there is good indirect evidence that another type of matter, known as dark matter, plays an important role in the formation of large-scale structures in the universe, such as galaxies. It is estimated that some eighty-five percent of the total matter in the universe is dark matter. Since the particle constituent of dark matter is not known yet, the gravitational collapse of dark matter is less explored. Here we consider first some basic properties of baryonic matter and dark matter collapse. Then we discuss the final fate of gravitational collapse for different types of matter fields and the nature of the singularity which can be formed as an endstate of gravitational collapse. We then present a general relativistic technique to form equilibrium configurations and argue that this can be thought of as a general relativistic analog of the standard virialization process. We suggest a modification, where the Top-Hat collapse model of primordial dark matter halo formation is modified by using the general relativistic technique of equilibrium. We also explain why this type of collapse process is more likely to happen in dark matter fields.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Shadows of spherically symmetric black holes and naked singularities

We compare shadows cast by Schwarzschild black holes with those produced by two classes of naked singularities that result from gravitational collapse of spherically symmetric matter. The latter models consist of an interior naked singularity spacetime restricted to radii $r\leq R_b$, matched to Schwarzschild spacetime outside the boundary radius $R_b$. While a black hole always has a photon sphere and always casts a shadow, we find that the naked singularity models have photon spheres only if a certain parameter $M_0$ that characterizes these models satisfies $M_0\geq 2/3$, or equivalently, if $R_b\leq 3M$, where $M$ is the total mass of the object. Such models do produce shadows. However, models with $M_0<2/3$ (or $R_b>3M$) have no photon sphere and do not produce a shadow. Instead, they produce an interesting `full-moon' image. These results imply that the presence of a shadow does not by itself prove that a compact object is necessarily a black hole. The object could be a naked singularity with $M_0\geq 2/3$, and we will need other observational clues to distinguish the two possibilities. On the other hand, the presence of a full-moon image would certainly rule out a black hole and might suggest a naked singularity with $M_0<2/3$. It would be worthwhile to generalize the present study, which is restricted to spherically symmetric models, to rotating black holes and naked singularities.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

Gravitational collapse in $(2+1)$-dimensional Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity

We study here the gravitational collapse of dust in $(2+1)$-dimensional spacetimes for the formation of black holes (BH) and naked singularities (NS) as final states in a modified theory of gravity, with vanishing cosmological constant. From the perspective of cosmic censorship, we investigate the collapse of a dust cloud in Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity (EiBI) and compare the results with those of general relativity (GR). It turns out that, as opposed to the general relativistic situation, where the outcome of dust collapse in $(2+1)$ dimensions is always a naked singularity, the EiBI theory has a certain range of parameter values that avoid the naked singularity. This indicates that a $(3+1)$-dimensional generalization of these results could be useful and worth examining. Finally, using the results here, we show that the singularity avoidance through homogeneous bounce in cosmology in this modified gravity is not stable.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

On the stability of a superspinar

The superspinar proposed by Gimon and Horava is a rapidly rotating compact entity whose exterior is described by the over-spinning Kerr geometry. The compact entity itself is expected to be governed by superstringy effects, and in astrophysical scenarios it can give rise to interesting observable phenomena. Earlier it was suggested that the superspinar may not be stable but we point out here that this does not necessarily follow from earlier studies. We show, by analytically treating the Teukolsky equations by Detwiler's method, that in fact there are infinitely many boundary conditions that make the superspinar stable, and that the modes will decay in time. It follows that we need to know more on the physical nature of the superspinar in order to decide on its stability in physical reality.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Distinguishing Kerr naked singularities and black holes using the spin precession of a test gyro in strong gravitational fields

We study here the precession of the spin of a test gyroscope attached to a stationary observer in the Kerr spacetime, specifically, to distinguish naked singularity (NS) from black hole (BH). It was shown recently that for gyros attached to static observers, their precession frequency became arbitrarily large in the limit of approach to the ergosurface. For gyros attached to stationary observers that move with non-zero angular velocity $Ω$, this divergence at the ergosurface can be avoided. Specifically, for such gyros, the precession frequencies diverge on the event horizon of a BH, but are finite and regular for NS everywhere except at the singularity itself. Therefore a genuine detection of the event horizon becomes possible in this case. We also show that for a near-extremal NS ($1 1.089$ for a certain range of $r$. For $1<a_*<1.089$, a peak appears, but the LT frequency remains positive definite. There are important differences in accretion disk LT frequencies for BH and NS and since LT frequencies are intimately related to observed QPOs, these features might allow us to determine whether a given rotating compact astrophysical object is BH or NS.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2017

Spin precession in a black hole and naked singularity spacetimes

We propose here a specific criterion to address the existence or otherwise of Kerr naked singularities, in terms of the precession of the spin of a test gyroscope due to the frame dragging by the central spinning body. We show that there is indeed an important characteristic difference in the behavior of gyro spin precession frequency in the limit of approach to these compact objects, and this can be used, in principle, to differentiate the naked singularity from black hole. Specifically, if gyroscopes are fixed all along the polar axis upto the horizon of a Kerr black hole, the precession frequency becomes arbitrarily high, blowing up as the event horizon is approached. On the other hand, in the case of naked singularity, this frequency remains always finite and well-behaved. Interestingly, this behavior is intimately related to and is governed by the geometry of the ergoregion in each of these cases which we analyze here. One intriguing behavior that emerges is, in the Kerr naked singularity case, the Lense-Thirring precession frequency ($Ω_{\rm LT}$) of the gyroscope due to frame-dragging effect decreases as ($Ω_{\rm LT}\propto r$) after reaching a maximum, in the limit of $r= 0$, as opposed to $r^{-3}$ dependence in all other known astrophysical cases.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

Spherical vacuum and scalar collapse for the Starobinsky R^2 model

Spherical vacuum and scalar collapse for the Starobinsky R^2 model is simulated. Obtained by considering the quantum-gravitational effects, this model would admit some cases of singularity-free cosmological spacetimes. It is found, however, that in vacuum and scalar collapse, when f' or the physical scalar field is strong enough, a black hole including a central singularity can be formed. In addition, near the central singularity, gravity dominates the repulsion from the potential, so that in some circumstances the Ricci scalar is pushed to infinity by gravity. Therefore, the semiclassical effects as included here do not avoid the singularity problem in general relativity. A strong physical scalar field can prevent the Ricci scalar from growing to infinity. Vacuum collapse for the RlnR model is explored, and it is observed that for this model the Ricci scalar can also go to infinity as the central singularity is approached. Therefore, this feature seems universal in vacuum and scalar collapse in f(R) gravity.

gr-qc↗