Evolving black holes from conformal transformations of static solutions

Abstract

A class of nonstationary spacetimes is obtained by means of a conformal transformation of the Schwarzschild metric, where the conformal factor $a(t)$ is an arbitrary function of the time coordinate only. We investigate several situations including some where the final state is a central object with constant mass. The metric is such that there is an initial big-bang type singularity and the final state depends on the chosen conformal factor. The Misner-Sharp mass is computed and a localized central object may be identified. The trapping horizons, geodesic and causal structure of the resulting spacetimes are investigated in detail. When $a(t)$ asymptotes to a constant in a short enough time scale, the spacetime presents an event horizon and its analytical extension reveals black-hole or white-hole regions. On the other hand, when $a(t)$ is unbounded from above as in cosmological models, the spacetime presents no event horizons and may present null singularities in the future. The energy-momentum content and other properties of the respective spacetimes are also investigated.