Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2025/iii/paper-311/4/a/solution

The second law of black-hole mechanics states that the area of spatial cross-sections of a future event horizon cannot decrease toward the future, provided the null energy condition and the standard global assumptions hold.
Let be an affinely parametrized horizon generator. It is hypersurface-orthogonal, so its null twist vanishes. The Null Raychaudhuri equation in dimensions and the Einstein equation give
If , integration implies that diverges to within affine distance at most . The resulting focal point would make the generator leave the achronal boundary that defines the event horizon, contradicting its assumed future completeness. Hence everywhere. Since null expansion obeys
every horizon area element, and therefore every complete cross-section area, is nondecreasing.

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