arXiv subjects

Pablo Bueno

Publications and source records attributed to Pablo Bueno.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

Regular Black Holes From Pure Gravity

We show via an explicit construction how an infinite tower of higher-curvature corrections generically leads to a resolution of the Schwarzschild singularity in any spacetime dimension $D \ge 5$. The theories we consider have two key properties that ensure the results are general and robust: (1) they provide a basis for (vacuum) gravitational effective field theory in five and higher-dimensions, (2) for each value of the mass, they have a unique static spherically symmetric solution. We present several exact solutions of the theories that include the Hayward black hole and metrics similar to the Bardeen and Dymnikova ones. Unlike previous constructions, these regular black holes arise as vacuum solutions, as we include no matter fields whatsoever in our analysis. We show how the black hole thermodynamics can be studied in a completely universal and unambiguous way for all solutions.

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arXiv2023

Aspects of higher-curvature gravities with covariant derivatives

We study various aspects of higher-curvature theories of gravity built from contractions of the metric, the Riemann tensor and the covariant derivative, $\mathcal{L}(g^{ab},R_{abcd},\nabla_a)$. We characterise the linearized spectrum of these theories and compute the modified Newton potential in the general case. Then, we present the first examples of Generalized Quasi-topological (GQT) gravities involving covariant derivatives of the Riemann tensor. We argue that they always have second-order equations on maximally symmetric backgrounds. Focusing on four spacetime dimensions, we find new densities of that type involving eight and ten derivatives of the metric. In the latter case, we find new modifications of the Schwarzschild black hole. These display thermodynamic properties which depart from the ones of polynomial GQT black holes. In particular, the relation between the temperature and the mass of small black holes, $T\sim M^{1/3}$, which universally holds for general polynomial GQT modifications of Einstein gravity, gets modified in the presence of the new density with covariant derivatives to $T\sim M^{3}$. Finally, we consider brane-world gravities induced by Einstein gravity in the AdS bulk. We show that the effective quadratic action for the brane-world theory involving arbitrary high-order terms in the action can be written explicitly in a closed form in terms of Bessel functions. We use this result to compute the propagator of metric perturbations on the brane and its pole structure in various dimensions, always finding infinite towers of ghost modes, as well as tachyons and more exotic modes in some cases.

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arXiv2023

Conformal bounds in three dimensions from entanglement entropy

The entanglement entropy of an arbitrary spacetime region $A$ in a three-dimensional conformal field theory (CFT) contains a constant universal coefficient, $F(A)$. For general theories, the value of $F(A)$ is minimized when $A$ is a round disk, $F_0$, and in that case it coincides with the Euclidean free energy on the sphere. We conjecture that, for general CFTs, the quantity $F(A)/F_0$ is bounded above by the free scalar field result and below by the Maxwell field one. We provide strong evidence in favor of this claim and argue that an analogous conjecture in the four-dimensional case is equivalent to the Hofman-Maldacena bounds. In three dimensions, our conjecture gives rise to similar bounds on the quotients of various constants characterizing the CFT. In particular, it implies that the quotient of the stress-tensor two-point function coefficient and the sphere free energy satisfies $C_{ \scriptscriptstyle T} / F_0 \leq 3/ (4π^2 \log 2 - 6ζ[3]) \simeq 0.14887$ for general CFTs. We verify the validity of this bound for free scalars and fermions, general $O(N)$ and Gross-Neveu models, holographic theories, $\mathcal{N}=2$ Wess-Zumino models and general ABJM theories.

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arXiv2023

On the stability of Einsteinian Cubic Gravity black holes in EFT

In this note we revisit the analysis performed in arXiv:2305.07217 of odd-parity perturbations around static and spherically symmetric black holes in Einsteinian Cubic Gravity (ECG). We show that the additional propagating modes always have masses much above the cutoff of the theory. Therefore, contrary to what is claimed in that paper, the ECG black holes remain stable within the effective field theory regime. We consider the same analysis for a general cubic theory, showing that the ECG results are not special in this regard. We use the occasion to make some clarifications on the role, uses and limitations of ECG and its generalizations.

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arXiv2023

Generalized Symmetries For Generalized Gravitons

We construct generalized symmetries for linearized Einstein gravity in arbitrary dimensions. First-principle considerations in QFT force generalized symmetries to appear in dual pairs. Verifying this prediction helps us find the full set of non-trivial conserved charges -- associated, in equal parts, with 2-form and $(D-2)$-form currents. Their total number is $D(D+1)$. We compute the quantum commutators of pairs of dual charges, showing that they are non-vanishing for regions whose boundaries are non-trivially linked with each other and zero otherwise, as expected on general grounds. We also consider general linearized higher-curvature gravities. These propagate, in addition to the usual graviton, a spin-0 mode as well as a massive ghost-like spin-2 one. When the latter is absent, the theory is unitary and the dual-pairs principle is respected. In particular, we find that the number and types of charges remain the same as for Einstein gravity, and that they correspond to continuous generalizations of the Einsteinian ones.

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arXiv2023

Reflected entropy, symmetries and free fermions

Exploiting the split property of quantum field theories (QFTs), a notion of von Neumann entropy associated to pairs of spatial subregions has been recently proposed both in the holographic context -- where it has been argued to be related to the entanglement wedge cross section -- and for general QFTs. We argue that the definition of this "reflected entropy" can be canonically generalized in a way which is particularly suitable for orbifold theories -- those obtained by restricting the full algebra of operators to those which are neutral under a global symmetry group. This turns out to be given by the full-theory reflected entropy minus an entropy associated to the expectation value of the "twist" operator implementing the symmetry operation. Then we show that the reflected entropy for Gaussian fermion systems can be simply written in terms of correlation functions and we evaluate it numerically for two intervals in the case of a two-dimensional Dirac field as a function of the conformal cross-ratio. Finally, we explain how the aforementioned twist operators can be constructed and we compute the corresponding expectation value and reflected entropy numerically in the case of the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ bosonic subalgebra of the Dirac field.

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arXiv2023

Higher-curvature Gravities from Braneworlds and the Holographic c-theorem

We study the structure of the higher-curvature gravitational densities that are induced from holographic renormalization in AdS$_{d+1}$. In a braneworld construction, such densities define a d-dimensional higher-curvature gravitational theory on the brane, which in turn is dual to a (d-1)-dimensional CFT living at its boundary. We show that this CFT$_{d-1}$ satisfies a holographic c-theorem in general dimensions (different than the g-theorem of holographic boundary CFTs), since at each and every order the higher-curvature densities satisfy c-theorems on their own. We find that, in these densities, the terms that affect the monotonicity of the holographic c-function are algebraic in the curvature, and do not involve covariant derivatives of the Riemann tensor. We examine various other features of the holographically induced higher-curvature densities, such as the presence of reduced-order traced equations, and their connection to Born-Infeld-type gravitational Lagrangians.

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arXiv2022

Electromagnetic Generalized Quasi-topological gravities in $(2 + 1)$ dimensions

The construction of Quasi-topological gravities in three-dimensions requires coupling a scalar field to the metric. As shown in arXiv:2104.10172, the resulting "Electromagnetic" Quasi-topological (EQT) theories admit charged black hole solutions characterized by a single-function for the metric, $-g_{tt}=g^{-1}_{rr}\equiv f(r)$, and a simple azimuthal form for the scalar. Such black holes, whose metric can be determined fully analytically, generalize the BTZ solution in various ways, including singularity-free black holes without any fine-tuning of couplings or parameters. In this paper we extend the family of EQT theories to general curvature orders. We show that, beyond linear order, $f(r)$ satisfies a second-order differential equation rather than an algebraic one, making the corresponding theories belong to the Electromagnetic Generalized Quasi-topological (EGQT) class. We prove that at each curvature order, the most general EGQT density is given by a single term which contributes nontrivially to the equation of $f(r)$ plus densities which do not contribute at all to such equation. The proof relies on the counting of the exact number of independent order-$n$ densities of the form $\mathcal{L}(R_{ab},\partial_a ϕ)$, which we carry out. We study some general aspects of the new families of EGQT black-hole solutions, including their thermodynamic properties and the fulfillment of the first law, and explicitly construct a few of them numerically.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2022

Aspects of N-partite information in conformal field theories

We present several new results for the $N$-partite information, $I_N$, of spatial regions in the ground state of $d$-dimensional conformal field theories. First, we show that $I_N$ can be written in terms of a single $N$-point function of twist operators. Using this, we argue that in the limit in which all mutual separations are much greater than the regions sizes, the $N$-partite information scales as $I_N \sim r^{-2NΔ}$, where $r$ is the typical distance between pairs of regions and $Δ$ is the lowest primary scaling dimension. In the case of spherical entangling surfaces, we obtain a completely explicit formula for the $I_4$ in terms of 2-, 3- and 4-point functions of the lowest-dimensional primary. Then, we consider a three-dimensional scalar field in the lattice. We verify the predicted long-distance scaling and provide strong evidence that $I_N$ is always positive for general regions and arbitrary $N$ for that theory. For the $I_4$, we find excellent numerical agreement between our general formula and the lattice result for disk regions. We also perform lattice calculations of the mutual information for more general regions and general separations both for a free scalar and a free fermion, and conjecture that, normalized by the corresponding disk entanglement entropy coefficients, the scalar result is always greater than the fermion one. Finally, we verify explicitly the equality between the $N$-partite information of bulk and boundary fields in holographic theories for spherical entangling surfaces in general dimensions.

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arXiv2022

Tripartite information at long distances

We compute the leading term of the tripartite information at long distances for three spheres in a CFT. This falls as $r^{-6Δ}$, where $r$ is the typical distance between the spheres, and $Δ$, the lowest primary field dimension. The coefficient turns out to be a combination of terms coming from the two- and three-point functions and depends on the OPE coefficient of the field. We check the result with three-dimensional free scalars in the lattice finding excellent agreement. When the lowest-dimensional field is a scalar, we find that the mutual information can be monogamous only for quite large OPE coefficients, far away from a perturbative regime. When the lowest-dimensional primary is a fermion, we argue that the scaling must always be faster than $r^{-6Δ_f}$. In particular, lattice calculations suggest a leading scaling $ r^{-(6Δ_f+1)}$. For free fermions in three dimensions, we show that mutual information is also non-monogamous in the long-distance regime.

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arXiv2022

Generalized quasi-topological gravities: the whole shebang

Generalized quasi-topological gravities (GQTGs) are higher-curvature extensions of Einstein gravity in $D$-dimensions. Their defining properties include possessing second-order linearized equations of motion around maximally symmetric backgrounds as well as non-hairy generalizations of Schwarzschild's black hole characterized by a single function, $f(r)\equiv - g_{tt}=g_{rr}^{-1}$, which satisfies a second-order differential equation. In arXiv:1909.07983 GQTGs were shown to exist at all orders in curvature and for general $D$. In this paper we prove that, in fact, $n-1$ inequivalent classes of order-$n$ GQTGs exist for $D\geq 5$. Amongst these, we show that one -- and only one -- type of densities is of the Quasi-topological kind, namely, such that the equation for $f(r)$ is algebraic. Our arguments do not work for $D=4$, in which case there seems to be a single unique GQT density at each order which is not of the Quasi-topological kind. We compute the thermodynamic charges of the most general $D$-dimensional order-$n$ GQTG, verify that they satisfy the first law and provide evidence that they can be entirely written in terms of the embedding function which determines the maximally symmetric vacua of the theory.

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arXiv2022

A universal feature of charged entanglement entropy

Rényi entropies, $S_n$, admit a natural generalization in the presence of global symmetries. These "charged Rényi entropies" are functions of the chemical potential $μ$ conjugate to the charge contained in the entangling region and reduce to the usual notions as $μ\rightarrow 0$. For $n=1$, this provides a notion of charged entanglement entropy. In this letter we prove that for a general $d (\geq 3)$-dimensional CFT, the leading correction to the uncharged entanglement entropy across a spherical entangling surface is quadratic in the chemical potential, positive definite, and universally controlled (up to fixed $d$-dependent constants) by the coefficients $C_J$ and $a_2$. These fully characterize, for a given theory, the current correlators $\langle JJ\rangle $ and $\langle TJJ \rangle$, as well as the energy flux measured at infinity produced by the insertion of the current operator. Our result is motivated by analytic holographic calculations for a special class of higher-curvature gravities coupled to a $(d-2)$-form in general dimensions as well as for free-fields in $d=4$. A proof for general theories and dimensions follows from previously known universal identities involving the magnetic response of twist operators introduced in arXiv:1310.4180 and basic thermodynamic relations.

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arXiv2022

Aspects of three-dimensional higher-curvature gravities

We present new results involving general higher-curvature gravities in three dimensions. The most general Lagrangian can be written as a function of the Ricci scalar $R$, $\mathcal{S}_2\equiv \tilde R_{a}^b \tilde R_b^a$ and $\mathcal{S}_3\equiv \tilde R_a^b \tilde R_b^c \tilde R_c^a$ where $\tilde R_{ab}$ is the traceless part of the Ricci tensor. First, we provide a formula for the exact number of independent order-$n$ densities, $\#(n)$. This satisfies the identity $\#(n-6)=\#(n)-n$. Then, we show that, linearized around a general Einstein solution, a generic order-$n\geq 2$ density can be written as a linear combination of $R^n$, which does not propagate the generic massive graviton, plus a density which does not propagate the generic scalar mode, $R^n-12n(n-1)R^{n-2}\mathcal{S}_2$, plus $\#(n)-2$ densities which contribute trivially to the linearized equations. Next, we obtain an analytic formula for the quasinormal frequencies of the BTZ black hole for a general theory. Then, we provide a recursive formula as well as a general closed expression for order-$n$ densities which non-trivially satisfy an holographic c-theorem, clarify their relation with Born-Infeld gravities and prove that they never propagate the scalar mode. We show that at each order there exist $\#(n-6)$ densities which satisfy the holographic c-theorem trivially and that all of them are proportional to a single sextic density $Ω_{(6)}\equiv 6 \mathcal{S}_3^2-\mathcal{S}_2^3$. We prove that there are also $\#(n-6)$ order-$n$ Generalized Quasi-topological densities in three dimensions, all of which are "trivial" in the sense of making no contribution to the metric function equation. The set of such densities turns out to coincide exactly with the one of theories trivially satisfying the holographic c-theorem. We comment on the relation of $Ω_{(6)}$ to the Segre classification of three-dimensional metrics.

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arXiv2021

Disks globally maximize the entanglement entropy in $2+1$ dimensions

The entanglement entropy corresponding to a smooth region in general three-dimensional CFTs contains a constant universal term, $-F \subset S_{\text{EE}}$. For a disk region, $F|_{\rm disk}\equiv F_0$ coincides with the free energy on $\mathbb{S}^3$ and provides an RG-monotone for general theories. As opposed to the analogous quantity in four dimensions, the value of $F$ generally depends in a complicated (and non-local) way on the geometry of the region and the theory under consideration. For small geometric deformations of the disk in general CFTs as well as for arbitrary regions in holographic theories, it has been argued that $F$ is precisely minimized by disks. Here, we argue that $F$ is globally minimized by disks with respect to arbitrary regions and for general theories. The proof makes use of the strong subadditivity of entanglement entropy and the geometric fact that one can always place an osculating circle within a given smooth entangling region. For topologically non-trivial entangling regions with $n_B$ boundaries, the general bound can be improved to $F \geq n_B F_0$. In addition, we provide accurate approximations to $F$ valid for general CFTs in the case of elliptic regions for arbitrary values of the eccentricity which we check against lattice calculations for free fields. We also evaluate $F$ numerically for more general shapes in the so-called "Extensive Mutual Information model", verifying the general bound.

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arXiv2021

Is the EMI model a QFT? An inquiry on the space of allowed entropy functions

The mutual information $I(A,B)$ of pairs of spatially separated regions satisfies, for any $d$-dimensional CFT, a set of structural physical properties such as positivity, monotonicity, clustering, or Poincaré invariance, among others. If one imposes the extra requirement that $I(A,B)$ is extensive as a function of its arguments (so that the tripartite information vanishes for any set of regions, $I_3(A,B,C)\equiv 0$), a closed geometric formula involving integrals over $\partial A$ and $\partial B$ can be obtained. We explore whether this "Extensive Mutual Information" model (EMI), which in fact describes a free fermion in $d=2$, may similarly correspond to an actual CFT in general dimensions. Using the long-distance behavior of $I_{\rm \scriptscriptstyle EMI}(A,B)$ we show that, if it did, it would necessarily include a free fermion, but also that additional operators would have to be present in the model. Remarkably, we find that $I_{\rm \scriptscriptstyle EMI}(A,B)$ for two arbitrarily boosted spheres in general $d$ exactly matches the result for the free fermion current conformal block $G^d_{Δ=(d-1),J=1}$. On the other hand, a detailed analysis of the subleading contribution in the long-distance regime rules out the possibility that the EMI formula represents the mutual information of any actual CFT or even any limit of CFTs. These results make manifest the incompleteness of the set of known constraints required to describe the space of allowed entropy functions in QFT.

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arXiv2021

Regular black holes in three dimensions

We find a plethora of new analytic black holes and globally regular horizonless spacetimes in three dimensions. The solutions involve a single real scalar field $ϕ$ which always admits a magnetic-like expression proportional to the angular coordinate. The new metrics, which satisfy $g_{tt}g_{rr}=-1$ and represent continuous generalizations of the BTZ one, solve the equations of Einstein gravity corrected by a new family of densities (controlled by unconstrained couplings) constructed from positive powers of $(\partial ϕ)^2$ and certain linear combinations of $R^{ab} \partial_a ϕ\partial_b ϕ$ and $(\partial ϕ)^2 R$. Some of the solutions obtained describe black holes with one or several horizons. A set of them possesses curvature singularities, while others have conical or BTZ-like ones. Interestingly, in some cases the black holes have no singularity at all, being completely regular. Some of the latter are achieved without any kind of fine tuning or constraint between the action parameters and/or the physical charges of the solution. An additional class of solutions describes globally regular and horizonless geometries.

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arXiv2020

Holographic entanglement entropy for perturbative higher-curvature gravities

The holographic entanglement entropy functional for higher-curvature gravities involves a weighted sum whose evaluation, beyond quadratic order, requires a complicated theory-dependent splitting of the Riemann tensor components. Using the splittings of general relativity one can obtain unambiguous formulas perturbatively valid for general higher-curvature gravities. Within this setup, we perform a novel rewriting of the functional which gets rid of the weighted sum. The formula is particularly neat for general cubic and quartic theories, and we use it to explicitly evaluate the corresponding functionals. In the case of Lovelock theories, we find that the anomaly term can be written in terms of the exponential of a differential operator. We also show that order-$n$ densities involving $n_R$ Riemann tensors (combined with $n-n_R$ Ricci's) give rise to terms with up to $2n_R-2$ extrinsic curvatures. In particular, densities built from arbitrary Ricci curvatures combined with zero or one Riemann tensors have no anomaly term in their functionals. Finally, we apply our results for cubic gravities to the evaluation of universal terms coming from various symmetric regions in general dimensions. In particular, we show that the universal function characteristic of corner regions in $d=3$ gets modified in its functional dependence on the opening angle with respect to the Einstein gravity result.

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arXiv2020

Reflected entropy for free scalars

We continue our study of reflected entropy, $R(A,B)$, for Gaussian systems. In this paper we provide general formulas valid for free scalar fields in arbitrary dimensions. Similarly to the fermionic case, the resulting expressions are fully determined in terms of correlators of the fields, making them amenable to lattice calculations. We apply this to the case of a $(1+1)$-dimensional chiral scalar, whose reflected entropy we compute for two intervals as a function of the cross-ratio, comparing it with previous holographic and free-fermion results. For both types of free theories we find that reflected entropy satisfies the conjectural monotonicity property $R(A,BC) \geq R(A,B)$. Then, we move to $(2+1)$ dimensions and evaluate it for square regions for free scalars, fermions and holography, determining the very-far and very-close regimes and comparing them with their mutual information counterparts. In all cases considered, both for $(1+1)$- and $(2+1)$-dimensional theories, we verify that the general inequality relating both quantities, $R(A,B)\geq I(A,B)$, is satisfied. Our results suggest that for general regions characterized by length-scales $L_A\sim L_B\sim L$ and separated a distance $\ell$, the reflected entropy in the large-separation regime ($x\equiv L/\ell \ll 1$) behaves as $R(x) \sim - I(x) \log x$ for general CFTs in arbitrary dimensions.

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