Dictionary

Irregular boundary of spacetime in general relativity – region where spacetime simply comes to an end. Often, such boundaries are associated with spacetime curvature growing beyond all bounds and becoming infinitely large – so-called curvature singularities (notably Ricci singularities or Weyl singularities – but there are exceptions (for instance a conic singularities).

According to general relativity, a singularity exists inside every black hole, and the starting point of any universe described by a big bang model is a singularity as well. The occurrence of singularities is a failure of general relativity – and a strong indication that the theory is incomplete. Instead, one could describe the earliest universe and the interior of black holes using a theory of quantum gravity.

More information about singularities can be found in the spotlight texts Spacetime singularities and Of singularities and breadmaking.