Radiating fluid sphere immersed in an anisotropic atmosphere

Abstract

We model a radiating star undergoing dissipative gravitational collapse in the form of radial heat flux. The exterior of the collapsing star is described by the generalised Vaidya solution representing a mixture of null radiation and strings. Our model generalises previously known results of constant string density atmosphere to include inhomogeneities in the exterior spacetime. By utilising a causal heat transport equation of the Maxwell-Cattaneo form we show that relaxational effects are enhanced in the presence of inhomogeneities due to the string density.