English

The influence of Penrose's singularity theorem in General Relativity

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology 2022-10-11 v2 High Energy Physics - Theory Mathematical Physics math.MP

Abstract

Penrose's crucial contributions to General Relativity, symbolized by his 1965 singularity theorem, received (half of) the 2020 Nobel prize in Physics. A renewed interest in the ideas and implications behind that theorem, its later developments, and other Penrose's ideas improving our understanding of the gravitational field thereby emerged. In this paper I highlight some of the advancements motivated by the theorem that were developed over the years. I also identify some common misconceptions about the theorem's implications. A modern perspective on the concept of closed trapped submanifolds, based on the mean curvature vector, is advocated.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2206.13925,
  title  = {The influence of Penrose's singularity theorem in General Relativity},
  author = {José M M Senovilla},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2206.13925},
  year   = {2022}
}

Comments

34 pages, 4 figures. Based on my contribution `The 1965 singularity theorem and its legacy' to the conference "Singularity theorems, causality, and all that: A tribute to Roger Penrose" (SCRI21), June 14-18, 2021. To appear in the topical volume `Singularity theorems, causality, and all that (SCRI21)' https://link.springer.com/collections/hjjgajaagg. Improvements suggested by referees