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Chapter 22: Problem 26

. What is the law of cosmic censorship?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The Law of Cosmic Censorship, proposed by Roger Penrose, states that in our Universe, singularities formed from gravitational collapse are always hidden within an event horizon, otherwise known as a black hole. This is to avoid contradicting the principles of quantum mechanics. There exist two versions of this law- the 'weak' and the 'strong'. The weak version refers to the general conjecture about singularities formed from gravitational collapse, while the strong version covers all possible singularities, including those that could occur within black holes.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Concept of the Law of Cosmic Censorship

The Law of Cosmic Censorship is a conjecture in astrophysics, proposed by physicist Roger Penrose in 1969. It hypothesizes that singularities (regions of infinite density) created by collapsing stars are always concealed within an event horizon, which is the boundary marking the limits of a black hole. Singularities that are not hidden behind an event horizon are called 'naked singularities', and according to this law, they should not exist in our Universe, because they would contradict the principles of quantum mechanics.
02

Know the Types of Cosmic Censorship Conjectures

There are two versions of the Cosmic Censorship Conjecture, namely the 'weak' and the 'strong'. The weak version refers to the general conjecture that all singularities formed from gravitational collapse are hidden within an event horizon. The strong version, on the other hand, covers all possible singularities, including those that might occur in the interior of black holes.
03

Understand the Importance of the Law

This law is important because if naked singularities could exist, they can potentially provide a window into quantum gravity effect, which could be a breakthrough for theoretical physics.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Search the World Wide Web for information about the intermediate-mass black hole candidate in M82. Is this still thought to be an intermediate-mass black hole? What new evidence has been used to either support or oppose the idea that this object is an intermediate-mass black hole?

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