  There are known models of spherical gravitational collapse in which the
collapse ends in a naked shell-focusing singularity for some initial data. If a
massless scalar field is quantized on the classical background provided by such
a star, it is found that the outgoing quantum flux of the scalar field diverges
in the approach to the Cauchy horizon. We argue that the semiclassical
approximation (i.e. quantum field theory on a classical curved background) used
in these analyses ceases to be valid about one Planck time before the epoch of
naked singularity formation, because by then the curvature in the central
region of the star reaches Planck scale. It is shown that during the epoch in
which the semiclassical approximation is valid, the total emitted energy is
about one Planck unit, and is not divergent. We also argue that back reaction
in this model does not become important so long as gravity can be treated
classically. It follows that the further evolution of the star will be
determined by quantum gravitational effects, and without invoking quantum
gravity it is not possible to say whether the star radiates away on a short
time scale or settles down into a black hole state.
