Do Naked Singularities Form?

TL;DR

This paper investigates the formation of naked singularities in a 1+1 dimensional dilaton gravity model, analyzing quantum effects and concluding that back reaction prevents their formation, challenging their physical plausibility.

Contribution

It demonstrates that quantum back reaction likely prevents naked singularities from forming in this gravity model, emphasizing the importance of back reaction effects.

Findings

Quantum stress tensor analysis shows infinite energy influx without back reaction.

Back reaction effects are necessary to prevent naked singularity formation.

Naked singularities are unlikely to form due to quantum effects in this model.

Abstract

A naked singularity is formed by the collapse of a Sine-Gordon soliton in 1+1 dimensional dilaton gravity with a negative cosmological constant. We examine the quantum stress tensor resulting from the formation of the singularity. Consistent boundary conditions require that the incoming soliton is accompanied by a flux of incoming radiation across past null infinity, but neglecting the back reaction of the spacetime leads to the absurd conclusion that the total energy entering the system by the time the observer is able to receive information from the singularity is infinite. We conclude that the back reaction must prevent the formation of the naked singularity.