Black Hole Formation in Randall-Sundrum II Braneworlds

Area of Science:

• Theoretical physics
• Cosmology
• General relativity

Background:

• The Randall-Sundrum single brane model describes a universe with a single brane embedded in a higher-dimensional spacetime (the bulk).
• Understanding gravitational dynamics within braneworld scenarios is crucial for testing fundamental physics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct the first numerical simulation of the full dynamics in a Randall-Sundrum single brane model.
• To investigate the process of gravitational collapse driven by a scalar field confined to the brane.

Main Methods:

• Numerical simulation of gravitational collapse.
• Imposition of spherical symmetry on the brane.
• Study of a massless scalar field confined to the brane.

Main Results:

• Sufficiently strong initial scalar field configurations lead to black hole formation.
• These black holes exhibit a finite extension into the higher-dimensional bulk.
• Preliminary evidence suggests a unique sequence of black hole solutions, independent of initial data.

Conclusions:

• Dynamically evolved black hole solutions are consistent with previously found static vacuum ansatz solutions.
• This research provides new insights into black hole formation in braneworld scenarios.