Figure: Black Hole Rotation in GR vs RST: Disentangling Angular Momentum from Spacetime Geometry
Figure: Black Hole Rotation in GR vs RST
This schematic illustrates the conceptual difference between rotation in General Relativity (GR) and Reactive Substrate Theory (RST). In GR, the spacetime geometry itself rotates (Kerr metric), while in RST the substrate well remains static and only the matter carries angular momentum.
1️⃣ GR Kerr Black Hole: Rotating Spacetime
(GR: Kerr Geometry)
Twisted Spacetime
─────────────────────────
↻ ↻ ↻
↻ ↻
↻ ● ↻
↻ ↻
↻ ↻ ↻
─────────────────────────
● = central rotating region (no physical surface)
↻ = spacetime frame-dragging
Matter orbits follow the twisted geometry.
Key idea: spacetime itself spins.
2️⃣ RST Black Hole: Static Substrate + Rotating Matter
(RST: Soliton / Substrate Well)
Static Substrate
─────────────────────────
↓ ↓ ↓
↓ ↓
↓ ▽ ↓
↓ ↓
↓ ↓ ↓
─────────────────────────
▽ = static substrate well (non-rotating)
↓ = matter spiraling inward (carries angular momentum)
Key idea: the substrate does not spin; only matter does.
3️⃣ Side-by-Side Conceptual Comparison
| Feature | GR Kerr Black Hole | RST Substrate Well |
|---|---|---|
| Central Object | Rotating spacetime geometry | Stationary substrate configuration |
| Angular Momentum | Locked into spacetime | Carried entirely by matter |
| Frame-Dragging | Spacetime twists around the hole | Arises from matter–substrate interaction |
| Accretion Disk | Follows twisted geometry | Spins into a static well |
| Singularity | Infinite curvature | No singularity; finite tension profile |
4️⃣ Interpretive Summary
GR: "The spacetime spins, and matter follows." RST: "The drain doesn’t spin; the water going in does."
In RST, rotation is a property of matter excitations, not of the substrate itself. This removes the conceptual difficulty of “spinning spacetime” and replaces it with a physically intuitive mechanism: angular momentum remains externalized in the infalling matter, while the substrate well remains static.
