Can we see naked singularities?

TL;DR

This paper investigates the visibility and physical properties of naked singularities formed in gravitational collapse, concluding that null naked singularities do not transmit energy outward, while timelike ones can, impacting the Cosmic Censorship Conjecture.

Contribution

It provides a general analysis of naked singularities' observability and energy transmission, emphasizing the importance of timelike singularities in testing the CCC.

Findings

Null naked singularities do not emit energy to outside observers.

Timelike naked singularities can carry energy and have finite redshift.

Results are independent of initial data and matter form.

Abstract

We study singularities which can form in a spherically symmetric gravitational collapse of a general matter field obeying weak energy condition. We show that no energy can reach an outside observer from a null naked singularity. That means they will not be a serious threat to the Cosmic Censorship Conjecture (CCC). For the timelike naked singularities, where only the central shell gets singular, the redshift is always finite and they can in principle, carry energy to a faraway observer. Hence for proving or disproving CCC the study of timelike naked singularities will be more important. Our results are very general and are independent of initial data and the form of the matter.