What is the name of the mathematical spacetime solution for a charged, nonrotating black hole?
Answer
Reissner–Nordström metric
Answer
Reissner–Nordström metric
The mathematical spacetime solution for a charged, nonrotating black hole is the Reissner–Nordström metric.
The solution was developed independently by Hans Reissner in 1916 and Gunnar Nordström in 1918. It solves Einstein’s field equations for a spherical object with electric charge and no angular momentum. Unlike the Schwarzschild solution, it contains both mass and charge as parameters.
For an idealized charged black hole, the metric can contain an outer event horizon and an inner Cauchy horizon. If the charge reaches an extreme value relative to the mass, the horizons merge. Astrophysical black holes are expected to carry very little net electric charge because surrounding plasma would quickly neutralize them, so the Reissner–Nordström geometry is mainly important as a theoretical model. Rotating charged black holes require the more general Kerr–Newman solution.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026