Singularities, trapped sets, and cosmic censorship in asymptotically flat space-times

Abstract

We show that space-time is future asymptotically predictable from a regular partial Cauchy provided that singularities are causally preceded by trapped sets. Future asymptotic predictability is a formal statement of cosmic censorship in asymptotically flat space-times. A regular partial Cauchy surface means that singularities in gravitational collapse can arise only from regular initial data. Our result confirms a supposition by Hawking that singularities forced by singularity theorems cannot be naked.