Hoop conjecture for colliding black holes - art. no. 121501

We study the collision of black holes in the Kastor-Traschen space-time, at present the only such analytic solution. We investigate the dynamics of th e event horizon in the case of the collision of two equal black holes, usin g the ray-tracing method. We confirm that the event horizon has trouser top ology and show that its set of past end points (where the horizon is nonsmo oth) is a spacelike curve resembling a seam of trousers. We show that this seam has a finite length and argue that twice this length be taken to defin e the minimal circumference C of the event horizon. Comparing with the asym ptotic mass M, we find the inequality C<4 pi M supposed by the hoop conject ure, with both sides being of similar order, C similar to 4 pi M. This supp orts the hoop conjecture as a guide to general gravitational collapse, even in the extreme case of head-on black-hole collisions. [S0556-2821(98)50322 -0].