Retiring the third law of black hole thermodynamics (Joint Analysis and PDE/Geometry Seminar)

Abstract: In this talk, I will present a construction of regular initial data for the Einstein-Maxwell-charged scalar field system collapsing to exactly extremal Reissner--Nordström black holes within finite advanced time. In particular, our result can be viewed as a definitive disproof of “the third law of black hole thermodynamics.’’ I will further discuss upcoming work on black hole formation and event horizon gluing in vacuum for Schwarzschild and slowly rotating Kerr black holes. This is based on joint work with Ryan Unger (Princeton).