Gravitational collapse in pure Gauss–Bonnet theory

Abstract In this paper, we study the gravitational collapse of matter fields, which include dust, perfect fluids as well as fluids admitting bulk and shear viscosity. The initial conditions on these matter fields have been kept to be quite general: the initial velocity profile of the matter is taken to include both the bound and the marginally bound models, while the density profile of the initial matter configuration is assumed to have physically admissible portrayal, and smooth falloffs. We determine, under these general conditions, the time of formation of the central singularity and the formation and evolution of black hole horizons, depicted here in terms of quasilocal marginally trapped surfaces. Our study shows that under these general conditions, the central singularity remains hidden from the asymptotic observer.