Inside astronomically realistic black holes

Abstract

The singularity of a spherical (Schwarzschild) black hole is a surface, not a point. A freely-falling, non-rotating observer sees Hawking radiation with energy density diverging with radius as $\rho \propto r^{-6}$ near the Schwarzschild singular surface. Spacetime inside a rotating (Kerr) black hole terminates at the inner horizon because of the Poisson-Israel mass inflation instability. If the black hole is accreting, as all realistic black holes do, then generically inflation gives way to Belinski-Khalatnikov-Lifshitz oscillatory collapse to a strong, spacelike singular surface.