arXiv subjects

Niko Jokela

Publications and source records attributed to Niko Jokela.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Determination of thermodynamics from entanglement entropy in the finite-density O(N) model

We nonperturbatively compute R\'enyi entropies for strip-shaped subregions in the three-dimensional O(4) model at finite density on the lattice. By using a dual variable representation and a tailored worm algorithm, we circumvent the sign problem when sampling the grand canonical ensemble. In the limit of large subregions, we also establish a direct, quantitative relationship between the derivative of entanglement entropy with respect to the size of the entangling region and the thermal entropy density for general quantum field theories, providing a new way to study their thermodynamics. We corroborate this argument with our lattice results by demonstrating that, in the appropriate limit, the derivative of entanglement entropy satisfies the same Maxwell relation as the thermal entropy density.

hep-th↗

arXiv2026

Covariant unification of holographic c-functions

We propose a covariant holographic c-function, defined directly in a top-down background and constructed from the extrinsic curvature of codimension-two slices of the bulk geometry. The definition does not rely on a special choice of coordinates or on the existence of a consistent dimensional reduction. We show that it unifies previous foliation-based holographic c-functions into a single covariant formula, reducing to them in the appropriate limits. We evaluate the covariant expression in a range of top-down string backgrounds, including conformal models, confining geometries, flows across dimensions, and the Klebanov-Murugan geometry, in which the holographic radial direction mixes with internal coordinates and which is not the uplift of a lower-dimensional solution. In all cases, the c-function behaves as expected: it interpolates monotonically between AdS fixed points when they are present and decreases towards zero in gapped infrared regions, while in the Klebanov-Murugan case we recover the correct fixed-point values and find evidence for monotonicity. We highlight open conceptual issues, including: the lack of a universal covariant definition of the holographic radial direction in the presence of a nontrivial internal manifold; the derivation of the flow from a bulk action; and the relation to the entanglement c-function.

hep-th↗

arXiv2026

Thermal and chemical response from entanglement entropy

We study entanglement entropy (EE) in interacting quantum field theories (QFTs) at finite density. We argue that, in the limit of large subregions, the derivative of EE with respect to the size of the entangling region approaches the thermal entropy density, independently of microscopic details. We make this relation explicit using slab-shaped subregions, where the limiting behavior can be directly identified. At finite chemical potential, we show that EE satisfies thermodynamic response relations, including a generalized Maxwell relation linking chemical potential and charge density. We provide strong nonperturbative evidence for these statements in the three-dimensional O(4) model, and conjecture that they are generic features of continuum QFTs, establishing a two-way link between entanglement and thermodynamics that opens a route toward extracting the equation-of-state information from entanglement data.

hep-th↗

arXiv2026

Lattice studies of entanglement entropy in $O(N)$ models at finite densities

As a characteristic property of all quantum systems, entanglement participates in many important quantum phenomena. In this proceeding, we employ it in the study of quantum field theories at finite density. We incorporate evaluations of entanglement entropy using the replica trick into MC simulations of O(N) models at finite density with the worm algorithm and present some initial results for the nonlinear O(4) model in 3 dimensions.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2026

Gravitational form factors of the proton in the improved holographic QCD model

We compute the gluonic contribution to the gravitational form factors of the proton using the improved holographic QCD model, in which the proton is described in terms of bulk Dirac fermions. Model parameters are constrained using lattice and phenomenological input, allowing us to obtain estimates for the gravitational form factors and to compare them with results from other approaches. The resulting gluonic contribution to the $\mathcal{D}(t)$ form factor is found to exhibit an infrared pole in our framework. Using the extracted form factors, we analyze mechanical properties of the proton, including pressure and shear distributions. We obtain estimates of $\rho_{\text{mech}} = 0.95$ fm and $\rho_{\text{mass}} = 0.61$ fm for the mechanical and the mass radii of the proton, respectively, which are similar to other nonperturbative studies.

hep-th↗

arXiv2025

Subtleties of non-Abelian D-brane actions and their effect on holographic heavy-light meson spectra

We revisit the holographic description of heavy light mesons in the D3-D7 system at zero temperature, analyzing the dynamics of the coupled probe D7 branes through the non-Abelian Dirac-Born-Infeld action. Distinct quark masses are realized by separating the flavor branes, producing holographic flavor hierarchies. We refine the calculation made in previous works: we impose Hermiticity on the induced metric and fix the expansion of the determinant for matrix valued fields. Implementing these improvements yields modified fluctuation equations and quantitatively different meson spectra: the scalar modes become heavier while the vector modes become lighter, removing the degeneracy reported in the literature. At finite 't Hooft coupling, we also observe a qualitatively different dependence of the vector modes on the quark masses. The resulting prescription provides a consistent, broadly applicable framework for incorporating non-Abelian flavor dynamics into holographic models and can be readily extended to situations away from the vacuum.

hep-th↗

arXiv2025

Entanglement C-functions of defects and interfaces in $\mathcal{N}=4$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory

We consider planar codimension-one defects and interfaces in $\mathcal{N}=4$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills (SYM) theory, realized by the D3/D5-brane intersection. Working in the probe limit, where the number of D5-branes is small compared to the number of D3-branes, we obtain analytic results for the holographic entanglement entropy of a ball-shaped region centered on the defect. A defect renormalization group flow is triggered by giving the defect hypermultiplets a mass, which corresponds to separating the D3- and D5-branes. Along this flow the entanglement C-function decreases monotonically. We also allow the D5-branes to carry worldvolume flux corresponding to dissolved D3-branes, in which case the setup describes an interface between two copies of $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM theory with different gauge groups, where an RG flow is triggered by placing one side of the interface onto the Coulomb branch. Here we again find monotonic behavior of the entanglement C-function, although its interpretation as a measure of effective degrees of freedom is problematic. We investigate possible alternative measures of degrees of freedom.

hep-th↗

arXiv2025

Testing the effective action approach to bubble nucleation in holography

The nucleation of bubbles during a first-order phase transition has recently been explored using holographic duality, which can provide an important complement to standard perturbative methods. These computations typically require finding static and spatially inhomogeneous saddle points, known as critical bubbles, which correspond in the gravitational dual to solutions of nonlinear partial differential equations. A computationally simpler alternative is to use the gravitational dual to derive the effective action of the boundary theory in a derivative expansion, and then solve the resulting lower-dimensional equations of motion. Once the effective action, typically truncated at two derivatives, is obtained, the holographic theory can be set aside, and bubble solutions can be found from ordinary differential equations. In this paper, we test this approach in a simple holographic setup: a scalar field in the probe limit in a black brane background, with nonlinear multi-trace boundary conditions. We compute critical bubble solutions both from the effective action and by solving the scalar field equation of motion directly in the gravity theory, and find good agreement between the two methods.

hep-th↗

arXiv2025

Locating the QCD critical point with neutron-star observations

We present a probabilistic model for the QCD critical endpoint (CEP) and the equation of state (EOS) at $\beta$-equilibrium, constrained by neutron-star observations. Using a hybrid framework that combines the holographic V-QCD model with an effective van der Waals description of nuclear matter, we generate a large ensemble of EOSs incorporating nuclear theory uncertainties. Constraining this ensemble with neutron-star mass-radius data and tidal deformability measurements from gravitational waves, we identify a strong first-order deconfinement transition at zero temperature, with a transition strength of $\Delta n_{\rm{PT}}/n_0 = 3.75^{+0.70}_{-0.53}$ and onset density $n_{\rm{PT}}/n_0 = 4.9^{+1.33}_{-1.17}$. The resulting posterior yields $95\%$ credible intervals for the CEP location: $\mu_{\rm{crit}} = 626^{+90}_{-179}\,\rm{MeV}$, $T_{\rm{crit}} = 119^{+14}_{-6}\,\rm{MeV}$.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

On entanglement c-functions in confining gauge field theories

Entanglement entropy has proven to be a powerful tool for probing renormalization group (RG) flows in quantum field theories, with c-functions derived from it serving as candidate measures of the effective number of degrees of freedom. While the monotonicity of such c-functions is well established in many settings, notable exceptions occur in theories with a mass scale. In this work, we investigate entanglement c-functions in the context of holographic RG flows, with a particular focus on flows across dimensions induced by circle compactifications. We argue that in spacetime dimensions $d \geq 4$, standard constructions of c-functions, which rely on higher derivatives of the entanglement entropy of either a ball or a cylinder, generically lead to non-monotonic behavior. Working with known dual geometries, we argue that the non-monotonicity stems not from any pathology or curvature singularity, but from a transition in the holographic Ryu--Takayanagi surface. In compactifications from four to three dimensions, we propose a modified construction that restores monotonicity in the infrared, although a fully monotonic ultraviolet extension remains elusive. Furthermore, motivated by entanglement entropy inequalities, we conjecture a bound on the cylinder entanglement c-function, which holds in all our examples.

hep-th↗

arXiv2025

Bulk metric reconstruction from entanglement data via minimal surface area variations

We investigate the reconstruction of asymptotically anti-de Sitter (AdS) bulk geometries from boundary entanglement entropy data for ball-shaped entangling regions. By deriving an explicit inversion formula, we relate variations in entanglement entropy to deviations of the bulk metric about a fixed background. Applying this formula, we recover the Schwarzschild-AdS spacetime in the low-temperature regime to first order. We further extend our analysis to include deformations of the bulk geometry with nontrivial dependence on boundary directions, and propose an iterative reconstruction scheme aimed at recovering the full spacetime starting close to a conformal fixed point. We do this by building on recent advances in the mathematics of inverse problems by introducing the higher-order linearization method as a new tool in the context of holographic bulk reconstruction.

hep-th↗

arXiv2024

Dynamics of a Higgs phase transition in the Klebanov-Witten theory

We study the dynamics of a first-order phase transition in a strongly coupled gauge theory at non-zero temperature and chemical potential, computing nucleation rates and wall speeds from first principles. The gauge theory is the four-dimensional superconformal SU(N)xSU(N) Klebanov-Witten theory, which at low temperatures displays an instability to forming scalar condensates that higgses the theory. The computation is made possible by utilizing the gravity dual, type IIB string theory on asymptotically AdS_5xT^{1,1} spacetimes. The instability is detected through the nucleation and subsequent localization of D-branes in the bulk, which in the probe limit is amenable to calculations. The nucleation rates suggest a preference for greater asymmetry between the two gauge groups as the temperature is lowered beyond its critical value. The wall speed stays below the speed of sound of the conformal plasma across all parameter values and exhibits nonlinear dependence on the energy difference between the two phases.

hep-th↗

arXiv2024

Thermal response of the Nieh-Yan term

We reinterpret the Nieh-Yan (NY) anomaly using holography, finding that the U(1) axial symmetry remains unbroken and the axial current coupling to an external gauge field is conserved. Instead, the anomaly arises from a breakdown of Hodge duality relations between fermion bilinears due to symmetry constraints on one-form currents. We show that the axial response associated with the NY term is distinct from the chiral vortical effect and exhibits a characteristic $T^2$ dependence. Torsion-induced axial transport decouples spin and axial charge dynamics, thereby clarifying the physical significance of the NY anomaly and motivating further field-theoretic and holographic studies.

hep-th↗

arXiv2024

Refining holographic models of the quark-gluon plasma

We investigate quark-gluon plasma at nonzero density by using two holographic models for QCD based on either brane or Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton actions. We determine the parameters of these models through a systematic statistical fitting procedure to lattice QCD data, which encompasses the equation of state (through the entropy density) and the two lowest baryon number susceptibilities. The predictions from the two models for the higher-order susceptibilities and the equation of state at nonzero density are strikingly similar. In particular, both models suggest the presence of a critical point on the $(μ_B,T)$-phase diagram near $μ_B/T \approx 6$. The results for the equation of state are in agreement with lattice data for higher-order susceptibilities and experimental data for the cumulants of the net-proton number from the Beam Energy Scan program at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider.

hep-th↗

arXiv2024

Estimate for the bulk viscosity of strongly coupled quark matter using perturbative QCD and holography

Modern hydrodynamic simulations of core-collapse supernovae and neutron-star mergers require knowledge not only of the equilibrium properties of strongly interacting matter, but also of the system's response to perturbations, encoded in various transport coefficients. Using perturbative and holographic tools, we derive here an improved weak-coupling and a new strong-coupling result for the most important transport coefficient of unpaired quark matter, its bulk viscosity. These results are combined in a simple analytic pocket formula for the quantity that is rooted in perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics at high densities but takes into account nonperturbative holographic input at neutron-star densities, where the system is strongly coupled. This expression can be used in the modeling of unpaired quark matter at astrophysically relevant temperatures and densities.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Flavors of entanglement

We employ holography to investigate Liu-Mezei renormalization group monotones in conformal field theories influenced by massive flavor degrees of freedom. We examine the entanglement entropy of a spherical subregion in three holographic field theories - $\mathcal{N}=1$ Klebanov-Witten theory, $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM theory, and ABJM theory - with fundamental flavor. The gravity dual of massive unquenched flavor is described by dynamical D-branes, and we solve their backreaction in the smeared approximation. We compute entanglement entropy using the Ryu-Takayanagi formula in these backreacted geometries. Our findings indicate that the Liu-Mezei A- and F-functions decrease monotonically to leading order in the number of flavors across all examples. Additionally, we calculate the leading flavor contribution to entanglement entropy using an alternative probe brane method that does not require knowledge of backreaction in the bulk geometries. These results consistently match with backreacted calculations in all cases, assuming omission of a specific IR boundary term stemming from a total derivative.

hep-th↗

arXiv2024

Is holographic quark-gluon plasma homogeneous?

We present evidence for a spatially modulated instability within the deconfined quark-gluon plasma phase of QCD. This evidence is based on robust predictions from generic holographic models, accurately fitted to lattice data, where the instability is driven by the Chern-Simons term mandated by the flavor anomalies of QCD. Such an instability occurs universally across holographic models at surprisingly low densities, within the crossover region amenable to lattice and experimental studies, therefore inviting further explorations of inhomogeneous phases in this region.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

Disentangling the gravity dual of Yang-Mills theory

A construction of a gravity dual to a physical gauge theory requires confronting data. We establish a proof-of-concept for precision holography, i.e., the explicit reconstruction of the dual background metric functions directly from the entanglement entropy (EE) of strip subregions that we extract from pure glue Yang-Mills theory discretized on a lattice. Our main focus is on a three-dimensional Euclidean SU(2) theory in the deconfining phase. Holographic EE suggests, and we find evidence for, that the scaling of the thermal entropy with temperature is to power 7/3 and that it approaches smoothly the critical point, consistent with black hole thermodynamics. In addition, we provide frugal results on the potential between quenched quarks by the computation of the Polyakov loop correlators on the lattice. Holographic arguments pique curiosity in the substratum of Debye screening at strong coupling.

hep-th↗