From a collapsing radiating star to an evaporating black hole: A smooth transition from classical to quantum entropy

Abstract: We present a robust mechanism where the geometrical free-gravitational entropy of an isolated astrophysical radiating star undergoing continual gravitational collapse, as measured by an external observer, makes a smooth transition to the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy at the onset of the horizon formation and in the late times of black hole evaporation. It is interesting to note that both in the classical regime and the semi classical evaporating black hole regime, the matter is radiated via the Vaidya exterior surrounding the radiating star, as well as the evaporating black hole. Our result, being independent of the interior matter dynamics of the collapsing star, clearly indicates that the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy and its non-extensive nature indeed originates from the Riemannian geometry, which dictates the free-gravity entropy in general relativity.