Mass Quadrupole as a Source of Naked Singularities

Abstract

We investigate the gravitational field of a static mass with quadrupole moment in empty space. It is shown that in general this configuration is characterized by the presence of curvature singularities without a surrounding event horizon. These naked singularities generate an effective field of repulsive gravity which, in turn, drastically changes the behavior of test particles. As a possible consequence, the accretion disk around a naked singularity presents a particular discontinuous structure.