How do singularities combine when two black holes combine?

Asked Mar 07 '20 at 18:55

Active Mar 07 '20 at 19:27

Viewed 105 times

If we solved GR in the case of two black holes colliding, does each individual black hole have a single pointlike singularity at their respective centres, and would those singularity combine?

Trying to visualise this in my head, I see two black holes moving towards each other, combining and then releasing energy as gravitational waves.

Two things that strike me with this model is that

1) This doesn't look very time symmetric. (So do we need to bring in theories of thermodynamics and entropy to explain the time asymetry?)

2) If each black hole had a singularity at its center then there would be a discontinuity if the singularities combined.

So, with pure GR, would black holes actually combine at all or just either bounce off elastically, or pass through each other?

edited Mar 07 '20 at 19:27

Qmechanic

201,751

asked Mar 07 '20 at 18:55

2

Possible duplicates: https://physics.stackexchange.com/q/524510/50583, https://physics.stackexchange.com/q/402051/50583 – ACuriousMind Mar 07 '20 at 18:58
see the links in https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/495866/event-horizon-shape-in-a-binary-system/495878#495878 – Yukterez Mar 07 '20 at 19:33

How do singularities combine when two black holes combine?

0 Answers0

Linked