The final fate of anisotropic-dissipative gravitational collapse

TL;DR

This work asks how the final fate of gravitational collapse is affected when dissipation and pressure anisotropy arise from directionally dependent radiative opacity. It develops a covariant, comoving GR framework in which the angular structure of opacity is encapsulated by a geometric factor $f(\theta,\phi)$ and linked to the anisotropic stress $\Delta$ via $\Delta = C\kappa_{\parallel}[f(\tfrac{\pi}{2},\phi)-1]$. By embedding this microphysical input into the dynamical–transport system based on Misner–Sharp formalism and Müller–Israel–Stewart theory, the authors derive direction-sensitive threshold inequalities that classify black-hole formation, naked singularities with delayed trapping, or a bounce, depending on the directionally dependent opacity. The key result is that microphysical radiative transport can decisively influence horizon formation, suggesting opacity-informed collapse predictions using existing opacity tables and stellar profiles. This opacity-governed perspective integrates microphysics with macroscopic collapse dynamics and could inform analyses of highly magnetized, radiation-dominated stellar interiors.

Abstract

The final fate of a collapsing star depends not only on how much matter it contains but also on how that matter resists gravity in different directions. In this work, we investigate the final fate of highly magnetized radiation-dominated spherically symmetric dissipative stellar configurations. We study the dynamics of collapse by introducing a dimensionless geometric factor $f(θ, φ)$ defined by the angular dependence of the radiative opacity. Using the field equations, we derive direction-sensitive threshold conditions that determine whether collapse initiates, halts, or reverses. The resulting inequalities unify black hole formation, bounce behavior, and delayed trapping of geodesics into a single geometrically controlled framework. This theoretical analysis would help analyze the collapse through pre-computed opacity tables for different magnetic field, temperature, and density profiles, along with other data available for such considered profiles.