Raya V. Mancheva

In this work we contrast the behaviour of two spherically symmetric matter models in a class of spherically symmetric spacetimes which feature a weak null singularity. This class in particular contains spherically symmetric perturbations of subextremal Reissner-Nordström under the Einstein--Maxwell--scalar field system, a system for which a $C^2$ formulation of the strong cosmic censorship conjecture was proved by Luk-Oh, arXiv:1702.05715 and Dafermos, arXiv:1201.1797. Firstly, we consider the Cauchy problem of spherically symmetric dust falling into the weak null singularity (WNS) where the initial dust velocity is normal to a smooth spacelike curve with certain properties. We prove that the flow of the dust velocity does not experience any shell-crossing before or at the singularity, the velocity vector remains timelike, and that the dust energy density remains bounded as matter approaches the singularity. Secondly, we consider the characteristic initial value problem for stiff perfect fluid falling into the WNS. By relating the stiff fluid velocity and energy density to a scalar field satisfying the homogeneous linear wave equation, we prove that this energy density becomes infinite as we approach the weak null singularity. Furthermore, we show that the ingoing component of the stiff fluid velocity blows up while the outgoing component approaches zero at the singularity. Therefore the velocity vector approaches an ingoing null vector tangent to the singular hypersurface.