Overcharging a multi-black-hole system and cosmic censorship

Abstract

We study the generalization of the gadenken experiment of overcharging an extremal black hole proposed by Wald in the context of a multi black hole solution. In particular, we attempt to overcharge a system of two extremal black holes via test particle absorption to produce a system involving a black hole and a naked singularity. If such a process is possible, then this would be a potential violation of the cosmic censorship hypothesis. However, we find that, analogous to Wald's result for a single charged black hole, such a test particle which can expose the singularity, would not be able to enter the horizon. This provides an interesting and non-trivial example that supports the validity of the cosmic censorship hypothesis in four-dimensional general relativity.