The analysis of singular structure in the Kerr spacetime and physically more realistic spacetimes

Abstract

In 1915, Karl Schwarzschild obtained his famous Schwarzschild solution, the first an alytical solution to the vacuum Einstein Field Equations. This solution contained regions where the metric diverges, soon to be referred to as ‘metric singularities’. Ever since, the nature of spacetime singularities has been point of discussion among physi cists and philosophers. The relevance of singular spacetime increased even more when Penrose published his first singularity theorem, implying that singular structure is in evitably predicted by general relativity. This thesis provides an extensive analysis of the singular structure that arises in the Kerr spacetime and in physically more re alistic spacetimes. For this purpose, the physical and mathematical nature of these types of singular structure is examined. Furthermore, by means of the ideas of Dennis Lehmkuhl, Erik Curiel and Karen Crowther & Sebastian De Haro, interpretations for singular spacetime structure will be analyzed. It will be stressed that some views on singular spacetime challenge our current singular black hole paradigm, while others em brace it. In addition to that, it will be examined to what extent Lehmkuhl’s historical interpretations for singular spacetime can be projected onto the Kerr solution. Finally, I will propose a classification to distinguish between possible approaches to construct ing an adequate non-vacuum description for physically realistic gravitational collapse, based on a tension in different interpretations for singular structure.