COLLAPSE AND REBOUND OF A CHARGED DUST-LIKE STAR

It is shown that a charged spherically symmetric star, made out of a c ontinuous superposition of thin shells with Poincare stresses, undergo es gravitational collapse in free fall like an uncharged star of dust. The interior solution is a Friedmann universe matching the Reissner-N ordstrom geometry at the boundary of the star. When the absolute value of the charge Q does not exceed the mass M, the star rebounds elastic ally inside the event horizon at the radial coordinate Q2/(2M). The fu rther history of the charged star after the bounce is analyzed. Beside s, a simple mechanism which accounts for the development of Poincare s tresses in an originally charged star of dust is suggested. It is also verified that the energy density is nonnegative all along the collaps e process.