Shedding light on naked singularities

Abstract

Electromagnetic waves propagating in the background provided by a spacetime hosting a strong curvature, naked singularity, are fully studied. The analysis is performed not only in the realm of geometrical optics --which, not surprisingly, proves to be inadequate in the strong-field regime characterizing the vicinity of the singularity-- but also in the physical one in which the field amplitudes must necessarily be incorporated into the description. In addition to the expected divergent outcome with regard to the field amplitudes and power flux as the waves approach the singularity, we found a number of regular (bounded) solutions which seem to coexist with the unbridled effects of the spacetime curvature. In some of them, the singularity operates as a perfect mirror reflecting the surrounding fields. Strikingly, other solutions exhibit a perfectly well behaved, bounded power flux as they propagate towards the singularity, suggesting thus the possibility of having electromagnetic energy transference through it.