Gravitational collapse with charge and small asymmetries I. Scalar perturbations

A recent analysis by Richard Price of spherical collapse with small nonspherical perturbations is here generalized to the case of an electrically charged collapsing star (0¦Q¦-M). The perturbations are confined to a scalar field generated by a nonspherical distribution of scalar charge in the star. As in the electrically neutral case, the scalar perturbations are probably a prototype for all others — electromagnetic, gravitational, and higherspin. The collapse is shown to produce a Reissner-Nordström black hole, and the scalar-field perturbations are shown to radiate completely away; but they die out more slowly the larger is the star's electric charge. For charge ¦Q¦M, the -pole part of the perturbation at fixedr and late times is dominated by a tail that dies out ast ^{–(2+ 2)}. But for ¦Q¦=M, the primary outgoing waves emitted from the star's surface are everywhere larger than the tail. At fixedr and late times they die as t^–(+2). Also, a calculation of the redshift shows that a collapsing star becomes black more slowly the larger is the star's electric charge.Supported in part by the National Science Foundation (GP-27304, GP-28027, GP-19887).