Related papers: Instability of Spacelike and Null Orbifold Singula…
We analyze spherical dust collapse with non-vanishing radial pressure, $\Pi$, and vanishing tangential stresses. Considering a barotropic equation of state, $\Pi=\gamma\rho$, we obtain an analytical solution in closed form---which is exact…
We consider the interpretation in classical geometry of conformal field theories constructed from orbifolds with discrete torsion. In examples we can analyze, these spacetimes contain ``stringy regions'' that from a classical point of view…
We study the formation of classical singularities in Generalized Brans-Dicke theories that are natural extensions to Brans-Dicke where the kinetic term is modified by a new coupling function $\omega(\varphi)$. We discuss the asymptotic…
In this contribution, we study spacetimes of cosmological interest, without making any symmetry assumptions. We prove a rigid Hawking singularity theorem for positive cosmological constant, which sharpens known results. In particular, it…
Oscillons are localized, non-singular, time-dependent, spherically-symmetric solutions of nonlinear scalar field theories which, although unstable, are extremely long-lived. We show that they naturally appear during the collapse of…
The gravitational strength of the central singularity in spherically symmetric space-times is investigated. Necessary conditions for the singularity to be gravitationally weak are derived and it is shown that these are violated in a wide…
Penrose's singularity theorem implies that if a trapped region forms in a gravitational collapse, then a singularity must form as well within such region. However, it is widely expected that singularities should be generically avoided by…
The discovery of the accelerated expansion of the Universe has had a vast resonance on a number of physical disciplines. In recent years several viable modified gravity models have been proposed, which naturally lead to a late-time de…
General relativity allows a variety of future singularities to occur in the evolution of the universe. At these future singularities, the universe will end in a singular state after a finite proper time and geometrical invariants of the…
We present a toy metric of spacetime travel from topological change. A bubble-like baby universe is detached and re-attached from our universe. Depending on where the bubble is re-attached, matter may travel superluminally or…
We hereby address the cosmological singularity problem in a general gravitational theory invariant under Weyl conformal transformations. In particular, we focus on the Bianchi IX spacetime and we show that both the initial (big bang) and…
Examples of space-times are given which contain scalar curvature singularities whereat the metric tensor is regular and continuous, but which are gravitationally strong. Thus the argument that such singularities are necessarily weak is…
We explore simple but novel bouncing solutions of general relativity that avoid singularities. These solutions require curvature k=+1, and are supported by a negative cosmological term and matter with -1 < w < -1/3. In the case of moderate…
One way to understand more about spacetime singularities is to construct solutions of the Einstein equations containing singularities with prescribed properties. The heuristic ideas of the BKL picture suggest that oscillatory singularities…
After reviewing the definitions of classical and quantum singularities, it is shown by example that if zeroth-order curvature invariants are regular, a diverging higher-order curvature invariant does not necessarily imply the existence of a…
It is shown that the initial singularities in spatially compact spacetimes with spherical, plane or hyperbolic symmetry admitting a compact constant mean curvature hypersurface are crushing singularities when the matter content of spacetime…
In some cosmological theories with varying constants there are anthropic reasons why the expansion of the universe must not be too {\it close} to flatness or the cosmological constant too close to zero. Using exact theories which…
One of the fundamental unanswered questions in the general theory of relativity is whether ``naked'' singularities, that is singular events which are visible from infinity, may form with positive probability in the process of gravitational…
We find an exact solution in dimensionally continued gravity in arbitrary dimensions which describes the gravitational collapse of a null dust fluid. Considering the situation that a null dust fluid injects into the initially anti-de Sitter…
We present here a brief review and discussion on recent developments in the theory of spacetime singularities. After mentioning some key motivations on the main ideas and concepts involved, we take the approach that the singularities will…