In reply to Stephen A. Lawrence's message of Thu, 02 Oct 2008 07:52:37 -0400: Hi, [snip] >> However, consider the case where a black hole swallows a planet sized chunk >> of >> matter. How long will it be before the *change* in strength of the >> gravitational >> field of the BH will be felt outside the event horizon? ...and perhaps more >> to >> the point how does the information pertaining to that change in mass escape? > >It doesn't. > >The planet-sized chunk of matter starts out OUTSIDE the event horizon. >From the point of view of an observer outside, the result is the same as >if the planet just smashed itself out flat *on* the event horizon, and >never crossed it.
Then perhaps that's exactly what happens. The matter is completely converted to energy which circulates around the center of mass at the event horizon. That would mean that there is no point mass at the center of a black hole, in fact there isn't anything there at all. If so, then this results in an interesting question:- Suppose that the circulating energy forms a ring rather than a spherical shell. What would happen to something passing down the axis of that ring? Suggestion, suppose that matter is created from space time directly by the field from the ring, and is spewed out along the axis (resulting in the frequently seen jets emitted from the cores of many galaxies). >The gravitational field, as measured by a distant >observer, is unaffected by the planet's traversal of the horizon. > >In that scenario, nothing escapes. The mass starts out outside, and its >influence remains outside. > >The appearance, from the outside, is very much as though the entire mass >of the black hole is distributed in an infinitesimally thin layer right >on the event horizon. You can't "see" anything inside. > >In fact, as viewed by a distant observer, it appears that time slows to >a stop for objects which approach the event horizon, as a result of >which an outside observer can never actually observe anything crossing >the event horizon, in either direction. (Hawking radiation also >originates just outside the event horizon, as I understand it, which >isn't very well.) [snip] Regards, Robin van Spaandonk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
