Extremal black hole formation as a critical phenomenon

Abstract: Extremal black holes are special solutions of Einstein’s equations which have absolute zero temperature in the thermodynamic analogy of black hole mechanics. In this talk, I will present a proof that extremal black holes arise on the critical threshold between gravitational collapse and dispersion. This constitutes the first rigorous result on the black hole formation threshold in general relativity. Joint work with Christoph Kehle (MIT).