Distinguishing Brans–Dicke–Kerr type naked singularities and black holes with their thin disk electromagnetic radiation properties

Abstract

AbstractThe possible existence of naked singularities, hypothetical astrophysical objects, characterized by a gravitational singularity without an event horizon is still an open problem in present day astrophysics. From an observational point of view distinguishing between astrophysical black holes and naked singularities also represents a major challenge. One possible way of differentiating naked singularities from black holes is through the comparative study of thin accretion disks properties around these different types of compact objects. In the present paper we continue the comparative investigation of accretion disk properties around axially-symmetric rotating geometries in Brans–Dicke theory in the presence of a massless scalar field. The solution of the field equations contains the Kerr metric as a particular case, and, depending on the numerical values of the model parameter $$\gamma $$γ, has also solutions corresponding to non-trivial black holes and naked singularities, respectively. Due to the differences in the exterior geometries between black holes and Brans–Dicke–Kerr naked singularities, the thermodynamic and electromagnetic properties of the disks (energy flux, temperature distribution and equilibrium radiation spectrum) are different for these two classes of compact objects, consequently giving clear observational signatures that could discriminate between black holes and naked singularities.