A naked singularity stable under scalar field perturbations

TL;DR

This paper proves the stability of a naked singularity spacetime under scalar field perturbations, challenging assumptions related to cosmic censorship and highlighting potential implications for string theory and gravitational physics.

Contribution

It demonstrates the stability of a specific naked singularity spacetime under scalar perturbations, a novel result in the context of cosmic censorship.

Findings

Spacetime with a naked singularity is stable under scalar perturbations.

Perturbations are regular at the singularity, ensuring stability.

Results have implications for cosmic censorship and string theory models.

Abstract

We prove the stability of a spacetime with a naked singularity under scalar field perturbations, where the perturbations are regular at the singularity. This spacetime, found by Janis, Newman and Winicour, and independently by Wyman, is sourced by a massless scalar field and also arises as a certain limit of a class of charged dilatonic solutions in string theory. This stability result opens up specific questions for investigation related to the cosmic censorship conjecture and the mechanism by which it is implemented in nature.