Quasinormal modes of a semi-holographic black brane and thermalization

We study the quasinormal modes and non-linear dynamics of a simplified model of semi-holography, which consistently integrates mutually interacting perturbative and strongly coupled holographic degrees of freedom such that the full system has a total conserved energy. We show that the thermalization of the full system can be parametrically slow when the mutual coupling is weak. For typical homogeneous initial states, we find that initially energy is transferred from the black brane to the perturbative sector, later giving way to complete transfer of energy to the black brane at a slow and constant rate, while the entropy grows monotonically for all time. Larger mutual coupling between the two sectors leads to larger extraction of energy from the black brane by the boundary perturbative system, but also quicker irreversible transfer of energy back to the black brane. The quasinormal modes replicate features of a dissipative system with a softly broken symmetry including the so-called k-gap. Furthermore, when the mutual coupling is below a critical value, there exists a hybrid zero mode with finite momentum which becomes unstable at higher values of momentum, indicating a Gregory-Laflamme type instability. This could imply turbulent equipartitioning of energy between the boundary and the holographic degrees of freedom in the presence of inhomogeneities.

Thermal correlation functions in CFT and factorization

We study 2-point and 3-point functions in CFT at finite temperature for large dimension operators using holography. The 2-point function leads to a universal formula for the holographic free energy in d dimensions in terms of the c-anomaly coefficient. By including α′ corrections to the black brane background, we reproduce the leading correction at strong coupling. In turn, 3-point functions have a very intricate structure, exhibiting a number of interesting properties. In simple cases, we find an analytic formula. When the dimensions satisfy ∆i = ∆j + ∆k, the thermal 3-point function satisfies a factorization property. We argue that in d > 2 factorization is a reflection of the semiclassical regime.

AdS black brane solution surrounded by quintessence in massive gravity and KSS bound

In this paper, the Einstein AdS black brane solution in the presence of quintessence in context of massive gravity is introduced. The ratio of shear viscosity to entropy density for this solution violates the KSS bound by applying the Dirichlet boundary and regularity conditions on the horizon for [Formula: see text]. Our result shows that this value is independent of quintessence in any arbitrary dimensions.

Topological violation of global symmetries in quantum gravity

We discuss a topological reason why global symmetries are not conserved in quantum gravity, at least when the symmetry comes from compactification of a higher form symmetry. The mechanism is purely topological and does not require any explicit breaking term in the UV Lagrangian. Local current conservation does not imply global charge conservation in a sum over geometries in the path integral. We explicitly consider the shift symmetry of an axion-like field which originates from the compactification of a p-form gauge field. Our topological construction is motivated by the brane/black-brane correspondence, brane instantons, and an idea that virtual black branes of a simple kind may be realized by surgery on spacetime manifolds.

Planar solutions of higher-spin theory. Part I. Free field level

Many black hole solutions of General Relativity are known to be linearly exact. This opens a way to study them in gauge theories that apart from gravity contain fields of higher spin s > 2. Starting with a black brane in AdS4 we find its free field higher- spin generalization that respects static and planar symmetry for all bosonic gauge fields s ≥ 0. The solution is found for both the higher-spin curvatures and potentials in the form suitable for further non-linear analysis and satisfies the multi copy relation.

Lifshitz hydrodynamics at generic z from a moving black brane

A Lifshitz black brane at generic dynamical critical exponent z > 1, with non-zero linear momentum along the boundary, provides a holographic dual description of a non-equilibrium steady state in a quantum critical fluid, with Lifshitz scale invariance but without boost symmetry. We consider moving Lifshitz branes in Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton gravity and obtain the non-relativistic stress tensor complex of the dual field theory via a suitable holographic renormalisation procedure. The resulting black brane hydrodynamics and thermodynamics are a concrete holographic realization of a Lifshitz perfect fluid with a generic dynamical critical exponent.

Correlation functions in finite temperature CFT and black hole singularities

We compute thermal 2-point correlation functions in the black brane AdS5 background dual to 4d CFT’s at finite temperature for operators of large scaling dimension. We find a formula that matches the expected structure of the OPE. It exhibits an exponentiation property, whose origin we explain. We also compute the first correction to the two-point function due to graviton emission, which encodes the proper time from the event horizon to the black hole singularity.

All order effective action for charge diffusion from Schwinger-Keldysh holography

An effective action for diffusion of a conserved U(1) charge is derived to all orders in the derivative expansion within a holographic model dual to the Schwinger-Keldysh closed time path. A systematic approach to solution of the 5D Maxwell equations in a doubled Schwarzschild-AdS5 black brane geometry is developed. Constitutive relation for the stochastic charge current is shown to have a term induced by thermal fluctuations (coloured noise). All transport coefficient functions parameterising the effective action and constitutive relations are computed analytically in the hydrodynamic expansion, and then numerically for finite momenta.

Constraints on quasinormal modes and bounds for critical points from pole-skipping

We consider a holographic thermal state and perturb it by a scalar operator whose associated real-time Green’s function has only gapped poles. These gapped poles correspond to the non-hydrodynamic quasinormal modes of a massive scalar perturbation around a Schwarzschild black brane. Relations between pole-skipping points, critical points and quasinormal modes in general emerge when the mass of the scalar and hence the dual operator dimension is varied. First, this novel analysis reveals a relation between the location of a mode in the infinite tower of quasinormal modes and the number of pole-skipping points constraining its dispersion relation at imaginary momenta. Second, for the first time, we consider the radii of convergence of the derivative expansions about the gapped quasinormal modes. These convergence radii turn out to be bounded from above by the set of all pole-skipping points. Furthermore, a transition between two distinct classes of critical points occurs at a particular value for the conformal dimension, implying close relations between critical points and pole-skipping points in one of those two classes. We show numerically that all of our results are also true for gapped modes of vector and tensor operators.

Phase transitions from the fifth dimension

We study the cosmological transition of 5D warped compactifications, from the high-temperature black-brane phase to the low-temperature Randall-Sundrum I phase. The transition proceeds via percolation of bubbles of IR-brane nucleating from the black-brane horizon. The violent bubble dynamics can be a powerful source of observable stochastic gravitational waves. While bubble nucleation is non-perturbative in 5D gravity, it is amenable to semiclassical treatment in terms of a “bounce” configuration interpolating between the two phases. We demonstrate how such a bounce configuration can be smooth enough to maintain 5D effective field theory control, and how a simple ansatz for it places a rigorous lower-bound on the transition rate in the thin-wall regime, and gives plausible estimates more generally. When applied to the Hierarchy Problem, the minimal Goldberger-Wise stabilization of the warped throat leads to a slow transition with significant supercooling. We demonstrate that a simple generalization of the Goldberger-Wise potential modifies the IR-brane dynamics so that the transition completes more promptly. Supercooling determines the dilution of any (dark) matter abundances generated before the transition, potentially at odds with data, while the prompter transition resolves such tensions. We discuss the impact of the different possibilities on the strength of the gravitational wave signals. Via AdS/CFT duality the warped transition gives a theoretically tractable holographic description of the 4D Composite Higgs (de)confinement transition. Our generalization of the Goldberger-Wise mechanism is dual to, and concretely models, our earlier proposal in which the composite dynamics is governed by separate UV and IR RG fixed points. The smooth 5D bounce configuration we introduce complements the 4D dilaton/radion dominance derivation presented in our earlier work.