Role of equation of states and thermodynamic potentials in avoidance of trapped surfaces in gravitational collapse

Abstract

In this paper we consider the novel scenario where a spherically symmetric perfect fluid star is undergoing continual gravitational collapse while continuously radiating energy in an exterior radiating spacetime. There are no trapped surfaces and the collapse ends to a flat spacetime. Also the collapsing matter obeys the weak and dominant energy conditions at all epoch. Our analysis transparently brings out the role of the equation of state as well as the bounds on the thermodynamic potentials to realise such a scenario. In this analysis we specifically address the issue when the matching surface is comoving, and hence our results will be generally different from those found by Senovilla et al., who considered non-comving matching surfaces. We argue that, since the system of Einstein field equations allows for such a scenario for an open set of initial data as well as the equation of state function in their respective functional spaces, these models are generic and devoid of the problems and paradoxes related to horizons and singularities. The recent high resolution radio telescopes should in principle detect the presence of these compact objects in the sky.