| The Kerr Solution
In 1963, Roy Kerr, a New Zealand physicist, solved
Einstein's field equations to describe the spacetime surrounding a spinning
spherical object. The Kerr solution describes all black holes that exist
in nature.
A Kerr black hole is a spherical, rotating black hole. Unlike the Schwarzschild black hole with a point singularity, a Kerr black hole has a ring singularity surrounded by a gravitational field. The ring singularity forms or actually deforms from the point singularity as a result from the infinite curving of spacetime by the rotation of the black hole. Like the Schwarzschild black hole's horizon or Schwarzschild Radius, this is the outer boundary of the actual black hole where the escape velocity is greater than the speed of light. From the Greek word "Egron" for energy, the Egrosphere is the region between its outer static limit and the event horizon. Any object between the two boundaries must move with the black holes direction of rotation. Kerr black holes have two properties: Mass and angular momentum around an axis of symmetry. Continue to Types of Black Holes Review. Back to the top of the page or the Types outline. |
 |
