GRAVITATIONALLY-INDUCED PARTICLE RESORPTION INTO THE VACUUM: A GENERAL SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF BLACK HOLE COLLAPSE

Abstract

The process of gravitationally-induced particle creation (Hawking radiation), if it exists, necessitates, in accordance with general thermodynamic principles, a corresponding process of gravitationally-induced particle resorption into the vacuum. Although the former process occurs in the external vicinity of the Schwarzschild surface where matter density is relatively low, the latter process would be expected to occur inside the Schwarzschild surface where the stellar material is enormously compressed and fermions fill all quantum states up to the Fermi level. I show that the occurrence of particle resorption provides a general mechanism, irrespective of the interactions of the constituent particles, which halts the collapse of a black hole to a singular point and leads to an equilibrium state of macroscopic extent.