Holographic Gravity Research Articles

Overcharging an accelerating Reissner-Nordström-anti-de Sitter black hole with test field and particle

Accelerating black holes have been widely studied in the context of black hole thermodynamics, holographic gravity theories, and in the description of black holes at the center of galaxies. As a fundamental assumption to ensure spacetime causality, we investigate the weak cosmic censorship conjecture (WCCC) in the accelerating Reissner-Nordström-Anti-de Sitter (RN-AdS) spacetime through the scattering of a charged field and the absorption of a charged particle. For the scattering of a charged scalar field, both near-extremal and extremal accelerating RN-AdS black holes cannot be overcharged, thereby upholding the validity of the WCCC. In the case of the absorption of a test charged particle, the results demonstrate that the event horizon of the extremal accelerating RN-AdS black hole cannot be destroyed, while the event horizon of the near-extremal black hole can be overcharged if the test particle satisfies certain conditions. The above results suggest that, in the case of test particles, second-order effects like self-force and self-energy should be further considered.

Quantum chaos in 2D gravity

We present a quantitative and fully non-perturbative description of the ergodic phase of quantum chaos in the setting of two-dimensional gravity. To this end we describe the doubly non-perturbative completion of semiclassical 2D gravity in terms of its associated universe field theory. The guiding principle of our analysis is a flavor-matrix theory (fMT) description of the ergodic phase of holographic gravity, which exhibits \mathrm{U}(n|n)U(n|n) causal symmetry breaking and restoration. JT gravity and its 2D-gravity cousins alone do not realize an action principle with causal symmetry, however we demonstrate that their universe field theory, the Kodaira-Spencer (KS) theory of gravity, does. After directly deriving the fMT from brane-antibrane correlators in KS theory, we show that causal symmetry breaking and restoration can be understood geometrically in terms of different (topological) D-brane vacua. We interpret our results in terms of an open-closed string duality between holomorphic Chern-Simons theory and its closed-string equivalent, the KS theory of gravity. Emphasis will be put on relating these geometric principles to the characteristic spectral correlations of the quantum ergodic phase.

First-order formalism of holographic Wilsonian renormalization group: Langevin equation

We study a mathematical relationship between holographic Wilsonian renormalization group and stochastic quantization framework. We extend the original proposal given in arXiv:1209.2242 to interacting theories. The original proposal suggests that fictitious time(or stochastic time) evolution of stochastic 2-point correlation function will be identical to the radial evolution of the double trace operator of certain classes of holographic models, which are free theories in AdS space. We study holographic gravity models with interactions in AdS space and establish a map between the holographic renormalization flow of multi-trace operators and stochastic $n$-point functions. To give precise examples, we extensively study conformally coupled scalar theory in AdS$_6$. What we have found is that the stochastic time $t$ dependent 3-point function obtained from Langevin equation with its Euclidean action being given by $S_E=2I_{os}$ is identical to holographic renormalization group evolution of holographic triple trace operator as its energy scale $r$ changes once an identification of $t=r$ is made. $I_{os}$ is the on-shell action of holographic model of conformally coupled scalar theory at the AdS boundary. We argue that this can be fully extended to mathematical relationship between multi point functions and multi trace operators in each framework.

Holographic JT gravity with quartic couplings

We construct the most general theory of 2D Einstein-dilaton gravity coupled with U(1) gauge fields that contains all the 2-derivative and the 4-derivative interactions allowed by the diffeomorphism invariance. We renormalise the 2D action and obtain the vacuum solution as well as the black hole solution. The vacuum solution in the UV is dominated by Lifshitz2 with dynamical exponent (z = frac{7}{3} ) while on the other hand, the spacetime curvature diverges as we move towards the deep IR limit. We calculate the holographic stress tensor and the central charge for the boundary theory. Our analysis shows that the central charge goes as the inverse power of the coupling associated to 4-derivative interactions. We also compute the Wald entropy for 2D black holes and interpret its near horizon divergence in terms of the density of states. We compare the Wald entropy with the Cardy formula and obtain the eigen value of Virasoro operator (L0) for our model. Finally, we explore the near horizon structure of 2D black holes and calculate the central charge corresponding to the CFT near horizon. We further show that the near horizon CFT may be recast as a 2D Liouville theory with higher derivative corrections. We study the Weyl invariance of this generalised Liouville theory and identify the Weyl anomaly associated to it. We also comment on the classical vacuum structure of the theory.

A Toverline{T} -like deformation of the Skyrme model and the Heisenberg model of nucleon-nucleon scattering

The Skyrme model, though it admits correctly a wide range of static properties of the nucleon, does not seem to reproduce properly the scattering behavior of nucleons at high energies. In this paper we present a Toverline{T} -like deformation of it, inspired by a 1+1 dimensional model, in which boosted nucleons behave like shock waves. The scattering of the latter saturates the Froissart bound. We start by showing that 1+1 dimensional Toverline{T} deformations of the free abelian pion action are in fact generalizations of the old Heisenberg model for nucleon-nucleon scattering, yielding the same saturation of the Froissart bound. We then deform the strong coupling limit of the bosonized action of multi-flavor QCD in two dimensions using the Toverline{T} deformation of the WZW action with a mass term. We derive the classical soliton solution that corresponds to the nucleon, determine its mass and discuss its transformation into a shock-wave upon boosting. We uplift this action into a 3+1 dimensional Toverline{T} -like deformation of the Skyrme action. We compare this deformed action to that of chiral perturbation theory. A possible holographic gravity dual interpretation is explored.

Do They Compute? Dawn of a New Paradigm based on the Information-theoretic View of Black holes, Universe and Various Conceptual Interconnections of Fundamental Physics

The article endeavors to show how thinking about black holes as some form of hyper-efficient, serial computers could help us in thinking about the more fundamental aspects of space-time itself. Black holes as the most exotic and yet simplest forms of gravitational systems also embody quantum fluctuations that could be manipulated to archive hypercomputation, and even if this approach might not be realistic, yet it is important since it has deep connections with various aspects of quantum gravity, the highly desired unification of quantum mechanics and general relativity. The article describes how thinking about black holes as the most efficient kind of computers in the physical universe also paves the way for developing new ideas about such issues as black hole information paradox, the possibility of emulating the properties of curved space-time with the collective quantum behaviors of certain kind of condensate fluids, ideas of holographic spacetime, gravitational thermodynamics and entropic gravity, the role of quantum entanglements and non-locality in the construction of spacetime, spacetime geometry and the nature of gravitation and dark energy and dark matter, etc. to name a few.

AC charge transport in holographic Horndeski gravity

In this paper, we investigate the AC charge transport in the holographic Horndeski gravity and identify a metal-semiconductor like transition that is driven by the Horndeski coupling. Moreover, we fit our numeric data by the Drude formula in slow relaxation cases.

S-duality, entropy function and transport in AdS4/CMT3

In this paper we consider Abelian vector plus scalar holographic gravity models for 2+1 dimensional condensed matter transport, and the effect of S-duality on them. We find the transport coefficients from the electric and heat currents via usual membrane paradigm-type calculations, and the effect of S-duality on them. We study the same system also by using the entropy function formalism in the extremal case, and the formalism of holographic Stokes equations, in the case of one-dimensional lattices. We study a few generalizations that appear when considering a supergravity-inspired model, and apply the entropy function method for them.

Aspects of capacity of entanglement

Many quantum information theoretic quantities are similar to and/or inspired by thermodynamic quantities, with entanglement entropy being a well-known example. In this paper, we study a less well-known example, capacity of entanglement, which is the quantum information theoretic counterpart of heat capacity. It can be defined as the second cumulant of the entanglement spectrum and can be loosely thought of as the variance in the entanglement entropy. We review the definition of capacity of entanglement and its relation to various other quantities such as fidelity susceptibility and Fisher information. We then calculate the capacity of entanglement for various quantum systems, conformal and non-conformal quantum field theories in various dimensions, and examine their holographic gravity duals. Resembling the relation between response coefficients and order parameter fluctuations in Landau-Ginzburg theories, the capacity of entanglement in field theory is related to integrated gravity fluctuations in the bulk. We address the question of measurability, in the context of proposals to measure entanglement and R\'enyi entropies by relating them to $U(1)$ charges fluctuating in and out of a subregion, for systems equivalent to non-interacting fermions. From our analysis, we find universal features in conformal field theories, in particular the area dependence of the capacity of entanglement appears to track that of the entanglement entropy. This relation is seen to be modified under perturbations from conformal invariance. In quenched 1+1 dimensional CFTs, we compute the rate of growth of the capacity of entanglement. The result may be used to refine the interpretation of entanglement spreading being carried by ballistic propagation of entangled quasiparticle pairs created at the quench.

What is gravity?

We review the historical pursuits and recent developments on the origin of gravity. We start with the Newtonian gravity and Einstein gravity to introduce the two major leaps of the historical pursuits on the origin of gravity. Then we introduce the recent developments on the origin of gravity from the point of view of modified gravity, quantum gravity and holographic gravity. For Newtonian gravity, we start with Keplers law on planetary motion to introduce the Newtons universal law of gravitation, and recent developments on the modified Newtonian dynamics and dark matter; for Einstein gravity, we explain the geometrization of gravity, and introduce the application of Einstein gravity on cosmology and gravitational waves; for modified gravity, we introduce it from the point of view of extra gravitational degrees of freedom, higher derivative gravity and higher dimensional gravity; for quantum gravity, we introduce it from the point of view of covariant quantum gravity, canonical quantum gravity and other scenarios of quantum gravity; for holographic gravity, we introduce its holographic picture, emergent properties and its connection with quantum information. However, the answer to the question of gravity origin still remains unknown. We point out here that three possible roads to approach the nature of gravity can be taken in future. The first one is the coming observations of gravitational waves from both ground-borne and space-borne gravitational-wave detectors. A system involving either black hole or neutron star has certainly run into the regime of strong gravity, which is quite different from previous tests for general relativity that is in the regime of weak gravity. The gravitational-wave observation will most likely provide us with clues on classical gravity with any possible deviations if Einstein gravity does modify itself at classical level. The second one is the understanding of the cosmic acceleration at both early-time and late-time. The cosmic acceleration at early-time is supposed to be driven by cosmic inflation, and the cosmic acceleration at late-time is supposed to be driven by the cosmological constant or alternatively dark energy. Future precise observations of radiation fluctuations and matter fluctuations will show us the way approach the nature of quantum gravity. The third one is the cognition of the relation of quantum gravity and quantum information. The past fifty years or so of pursuit on quantum gravity has leaded us to the path on the conjecture that quantum gravity might be emerged from quantum information. Although the perspective of this idea is not clear, it might be our best shot for now.

Bell Inequality from Holographic Gravity

We study a holographic model of an EPR pair at the boundary of bulk gravity, and use Bell inequality as a sharp test of entanglement. By revealing how Bell inequality is violated by gravity in the bulk, our study sheds light on the entanglement of the original ER=EPR conjecture.

Holographic Ward identities for symmetry breaking in two dimensions

We investigate symmetry breaking in two-dimensional field theories which have a holographic gravity dual. Being at large N, the Coleman theorem does not hold and Goldstone bosons are expected. We consider the minimal setup to describe a conserved current and a charged operator, and we perform holographic renormalization in order to find the correct Ward identities describing symmetry breaking. This involves some subtleties related to the different boundary conditions that a vector can have in the three-dimensional bulk. We establish which is the correct prescription that yields, after renormalization, the same Ward identities as in higher dimensions.

From Prigogine to Raychaudhuri

It is highlighted by Prigogine that there are two additional universal behaviors associated with the entropy production rate besides the four laws of thermodynamics. One is that the entropy production rate decreases when the system approaches the steady state, and the other is that the entropy production rate reaches its minimal value at the steady state. Motivated by the black hole thermodynamics and AdS/CFT correspondence, we resort to the Raychaudhuri equation to prove that these two universal behaviors are also obeyed by the black hole entropy. In particular, our result together with the four laws of black hole thermodynamics further indicates that the holographic gravity should be universal, not restricted only within the context of AdS/CFT correspondence.

Second-order hydrodynamics and universality in non-conformal holographic fluids

We study second-order hydrodynamic transport in strongly coupled non-conformal field theories with holographic gravity duals in asymptotically anti-de Sitter space. We first derive new Kubo formulae for five second-order transport coefficients in non-conformal fluids in $(3+1)$ dimensions. We then apply them to holographic RG flows induced by scalar operators of dimension $\Delta=3$. For general background solutions of the dual bulk geometry, we find explicit expressions for the five transport coefficients at infinite coupling and show that a specific combination, $\tilde{H}=2\eta\tau_\pi-2(\kappa-\kappa^*)-\lambda_2$, always vanishes. We prove analytically that the Haack-Yarom identity $H=2\eta\tau_\pi-4\lambda_1-\lambda_2=0$, which is known to be true for conformal holographic fluids, also holds when taking into account leading non-conformal corrections. The numerical results we obtain for two specific families of RG flows suggest that $H$ vanishes regardless of conformal symmetry. Our work provides further evidence that the Haack-Yarom identity $H=0$ may be universally satisfied by strongly coupled fluids.

What is the entropy in entropic gravity?

We investigate theories in which gravity arises as a consequence of entropy. We distinguish between two approaches to this idea: holographic gravity, in which Einstein's equation arises from keeping entropy stationary in equilibrium under variations of the geometry and quantum state of a small region, and thermodynamic gravity, in which Einstein's equation emerges as a local equation of state from constraints on the area of a dynamical lightsheet in a fixed spacetime background. Examining holographic gravity, we argue that its underlying assumptions can be justified in part using recent results on the form of the modular energy in quantum field theory. For thermodynamic gravity, on the other hand, we find that it is difficult to formulate a self-consistent definition of the entropy, which represents an obstacle for this approach. This investigation points the way forward in understanding the connections between gravity and entanglement.

Probing crunching AdS cosmologies

Holographic gravity duals of deformations of CFTs formulated on de Sitter spacetime contain FRW geometries behind a horizon, with cosmological big crunch singularities. Using a specific analytically tractable solution within a particular single scalar truncation of N=8 supergravity on AdS_4, we first probe such crunching cosmologies with spacelike radial geodesics that compute spatially antipodal correlators of large dimension boundary operators. At late times, the geodesics lie on the FRW slice of maximal expansion behind the horizon. The late time two-point functions factorise, and when transformed to the Einstein static universe, they exhibit a temporal non-analyticity determined by the maximal value of the scale factor a_{max} . Radial geodesics connecting antipodal points necessarily have de Sitter energy E \leq a_{max}, while geodesics with E > a_{max} terminate at the crunch, the two categories of geodesics being separated by the maximal expansion slice. The spacelike crunch singularity is curved "outward" in the Penrose diagram for the deformed AdS backgrounds, and thus geodesic limits of the antipodal correlators do not directly probe the crunch. Beyond the geodesic limit, we point out that the scalar wave equation, analytically continued into the FRW patch, has a potential which is singular at the crunch along with complex WKB turning points in the vicinity of the FRW crunch. We then argue that the frequency space Green's function has a branch point determined by a_{max} which corresponds to the lowest quasinormal frequency.

Cross-over versus first-order phase transition in holographic gravity–single-dilaton models of QCD thermodynamics

A dilaton potential is adjusted to recently confirmed lattice QCD thermodynamics data in the temperature range $(0.7 \ldots 3.5) T_c$ where $T_c = 155 \text{MeV}$ is the pseudo-critical temperature. The employed holographic model is based on a gravity--single-field dilaton dual. We discuss conditions for enforcing (for the pure gluon plasma) or avoiding (for the QCD quark-gluon plasma) a first-order phase transition, but still keeping a softest point (minimum of sound velocity).

Holographic mutual information and distinguishability of Wilson loop and defect operators

The mutual information of disconnected regions in large N gauge theories with holographic gravity duals can undergo phase transitions. These occur when connected and disconnected bulk Ryu-Takayanagi surfaces exchange dominance. That is, the bulk ‘soap bubble’ snaps as the boundary regions are drawn apart. We give a gauge-theoretic characterization of this transition: States with and without a certain defect operator insertion — the defect separates the entangled spatial regions — are shown to be perfectly distinguishable if and only if the Ryu-Takayanagi surface is connected. Meanwhile, states with and without a certain Wilson loop insertion — the Wilson loop nontrivially threads the spatial regions — are perfectly distinguishable if and only if the Ryu-Takayanagi surface is disconnected. The quantum relative entropy of two perfectly distinguishable states is infinite. The results are obtained by relating the soap bubble transition to Hawking-Page (deconfinement) transitions in the Rényi entropies, where defect operators and Wilson loops are known to act as order parameters.

Persistent superconductor currents in holographic lattices.

We consider a persistent superconductor current along the direction with no translational symmetry in a holographic gravity model. Incorporating a lattice structure into the model, we numerically construct novel solutions of hairy charged stationary black branes with momentum or rotation along the latticed direction. The lattice structure prevents the horizon from rotating, and the total momentum is only carried by matter fields outside the black brane horizon. This is consistent with the black hole rigidity theorem, and it suggests that in dual field theory with lattices, superconductor currents are made up of "composite" fields, rather than "fractionalized" degrees of freedom. We also show that our solutions are consistent with the superfluid hydrodynamics.

Dark energy from holographic theories with hyperscaling violation

We show that analytical continuation maps scalar solitonic solutions of Einstein-scalar gravity, interpolating between an hyperscaling violating and an Anti de Sitter (AdS) region, in flat FLRW cosmological solutions sourced by a scalar field. We generate in this way exact FLRW solutions that can be used to model cosmological evolution driven by dark energy (a quintessence field) and usual matter. In absence of matter, the flow from the hyperscaling violating regime to the conformal AdS fixed point in holographic models corresponds to cosmological evolution from power-law expansion at early cosmic times to a de Sitter (dS) stable fixed point at late times. In presence of matter, we have a scaling regime at early times, followed by an intermediate regime in which dark energy tracks matter. At late times the solution exits the scaling regime with a sharp transition to a dS spacetime. The phase transition between hyperscaling violation and conformal fixed point observed in holographic gravity has a cosmological counterpart in the transition between a scaling era and a dS era dominated by the energy of the vacuum.