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arXiv · 2206.00692

The Distribution of Ground State Energies in JT Gravity

Clifford V. Johnson
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Abstract

It is shown that the distribution of the lowest energy eigenvalue of the quantum completions of Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity is completely described by a non-linear ordinary differential equation (ODE) arising from a non-perturbative treatment of a special random Hermitian matrix model. Its solution matches the result recently obtained by computing a Fredholm determinant using quadrature methods. The new ODE approach allows for analytical expressions for the asymptotic behaviour to be extracted. The results are highly analogous to the well-known Tracy-Widom distribution for the lowest eigenvalue of Gaussian random Hermitian matrices, which appears in a very diverse set of physical and mathematical contexts. Similarly, it is expected that the new distribution characterizes a type of universality that can arise in various gravity settings, including black hole physics in various dimensions, and perhaps beyond. It has an association to a special multicritical generalization of the Gross-Witten-Wadia phase transition.

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Clifford V. Johnson. 2022-06-01. The Distribution of Ground State Energies in JT Gravity. https://arxiv.org/abs/2206.00692

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