Comment on gr-qc/0309003: ``Comment on `Absence of trapped surfaces and singularities in cylindrical collapse' ''

Abstract

Very recently, a ``Comment'' by Wang [gr-qc/0309003] on a paper by Gon\c{c}alves [Phys. Rev. D {\bf 65}, 084045 (2002)] appeared, claiming that Gon\c{c}alves' analysis of trapped surfaces in certain kinds of cylindrical spacetimes was incomplete. Specifically, Wang claims to have found a coordinate extension of the spacetime used by Gon\c{c}alves (the Einstein-Rosen spacetime) which contains trapped surfaces; in addition, Wang also claims that some such trapped surfaces are apparent horizons. Here, I comment on Wang's ``Comment'', and argue that, while Wang's spacetime extension appears to exist and contain trapped surfaces, it does not render Gon\c{c}alves' results incomplete in the sense Wang claims. I also show that, contrary to Wang's claim, his spacetime extension does {\em not} contain apparent horizons, i.e., it does not contain outer marginally trapped surfaces which are the outer boundary of a trapped region. Further peripheral comments by Wang are also commented on.