Time-Dependent Evolving Null Horizons of a Dynamical Spacetime

Abstract

Totally geodesic null hypersurfaces have been widely used in the study of isolated black holes. In this paper, we introduce a new quasilocal notion of a family of totally umbilical null hypersurfaces called evolving null horizons (ENH) of a dynamical spacetime, satisfied under an appropriate energy condition. We focus on a variety of examples of ENHs and in some cases establish their relation with event and isolated horizons. We also present two specific physical models of an ENH in a black hole spacetime. Beside the examples, for further study we propose two open problems on possible general existence of an ENH in a black hole spacetime and its canonical or unique existence. The results of this paper have ample scope of working on totally umbilical null hypersurfaces of Lorentzian and, in general, semiRiemannian manifolds.