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Raghu Mahajan

Publications and source records attributed to Raghu Mahajan.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Instanton-Induced Closed-String Amplitudes in Minimal Superstring Theory at Subleading Order

We compute the disk one-point function, the disk two-point function, and the annulus one-point function of the cosmological constant operator in the type 0A and type 0B minimal superstring theories with (1,1) ZZ instanton boundary conditions. The moduli-space integrals appearing in the disk two-point function and the annulus one-point function have divergences associated with open-string-channel degenerations, which must be regulated using open-closed string field theory. The definition of the string field theory interaction vertices requires a choice of locations for the picture-changing operators, which we specify in detail. After carefully taking into account all contributions, including those from vertical integration, we find that the results precisely match the expectations from DDK-KPZ scaling. Our technical results on the detailed construction of interaction vertices are a first step toward understanding the analogous quantities in the ten-dimensional type IIB superstring, where one also needs to understand how to treat the bosonic and fermionic collective coordinates at subleading order.

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arXiv2025

A Brief Note on Complex AdS-Schwarzschild Black Holes

In the context of thermodynamics of asymptotically anti-de Sitter spaces, it is often stated that at very low temperatures, there is only one saddle point available-namely, thermal AdS-and hence this sole saddle dictates the low-temperature behavior. However, AdS-Schwarzschild black holes continue to exist at low temperatures as complex saddle points. We point out that the real part of the on-shell action of these complex black holes is smaller than that of thermal AdS at the lowest temperatures, in AdS$_5$ and higher dimensions. So, naïvely, they should be the "dominant" saddles. This raises a puzzle: if these complex black holes were indeed the relevant saddle points, the physics of the bulk and that of the dual gauge theory would completely disagree at low temperatures. Using a mini-superspace approximation and contour arguments, we argue that these complex black holes do not actually contribute to the gravitational path integral, regardless of the value of their on-shell action. So the standard conclusion that thermal AdS is the correct saddle at the lowest temperatures continues to hold. We also comment on two related matters: whether the Kontsevich-Segal criterion is useful in this setting, and whether the unstable small black hole contributes to the path integral in the high-temperature phase.

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arXiv2025

Lectures on Quantum Extremal Surfaces and the Page Curve

This article is a write-up of pedagogical lectures delivered at the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics online winter school held in January 2021, and also as part of the Quantum Information, Quantum Field Theory and Gravity program held at ICTS, Bengaluru, in August 2024. The topics covered include a brief derivation of Hawking radiation from the perspective of correlation functions, a description of entropy paradoxes in the eternal black hole, and details of the associated entanglement island computations in two-dimensional models.

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arXiv2024

Normalization of ZZ instanton amplitudes in type 0B minimal superstring theory

We study ZZ instanton corrections in the $(2,4k)$ $N=1$ minimal superstring theory with the type 0B GSO projection, which becomes the type 0B $N=1$ super-JT gravity in the $k \to \infty$ limit. Each member of the $(2,4k)$ family of theories has two phases distinguished by the sign of the Liouville bulk cosmological constant. The worldsheet method for computing the one-loop normalization constant multiplying the instanton corrections gives an ill-defined answer in both phases. We fix these divergences using insights from string field theory and find finite, unambiguous results. Each member of the $(2,4k)$ family of theories is dual to a double-scaled one-matrix integral, where the double-scaling limit can be obtained starting either from a unitary matrix integral with a leading one-cut saddle point, or from a hermitian matrix integral with a leading two-cut saddle point. The matrix integral exhibits a gap-closing transition, which is the same as the double-scaled Gross-Witten-Wadia transition when $k=1$. We also compute instanton corrections in the double-scaled matrix integral for all $k$ and in both phases, and find perfect agreement with the string theory results.

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arXiv2024

Giant graviton expansion from eigenvalue instantons

Recently, S. Murthy has proposed a convergent expansion of free partition functions and superconformal indices of finite-$N$ purely adjoint gauge theories based on a Fredholm determinant expansion. This expansion has been dubbed the giant graviton expansion and takes the form of an infinite series of corrections to the $N=\infty$ result, with the $m^\text{th}$ correction being of order $e^{-mN}$. We show that this expansion can be reproduced using eigenvalue instantons in unitary matrix integrals. This perspective allows us to get the giant graviton expansion proposed by S. Murthy without the intermediate step of the Hubbard Stratonovich transformation.

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arXiv2024

Complex eigenvalue instantons and the Fredholm determinant expansion in the Gross-Witten-Wadia model

We study the leading nonperturbative corrections to the strong-coupling (ungapped) phase of the Gross-Witten-Wadia (GWW) integral over unitary matrices, to one-loop order. We compute these corrections directly in terms of eigenvalue tunneling in a holomorphic presentation of the integral over eigenvalues. The leading nonperturbative contribution to the partition function comes from a pair of complex eigenvalue instantons. We show that these are in fact "ghost instantons", which are extrema of the one-eigenvalue effective potential on the "unphysical sheet" of the spectral curve and have been discussed in detail recently by Mariño, Schiappa, and Schwick. Further, we discuss the relationship of these instantons to the Fredholm determinant expansion of the unitary matrix integral, which has recently become an object of interest in the computations of BPS indices of supersymmetric gauge theories and black holes. We find that, after taking the 't Hooft limit, the first correction given by the Fredholm determinant expansion of the GWW integral agrees precisely with the leading nonperturbative correction, to one-loop order.

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arXiv2023

Instantons in sine-Liouville theory

We compute instanton corrections to the partition function of sine-Liouville (SL) theory, which provides a worldsheet description of two-dimensional string theory in a non-trivial tachyon background. We derive these corrections using a matrix model formulation based on a chiral representation of matrix quantum mechanics and using string theory methods. In both cases we restrict to the leading and subleading orders in the string coupling expansion. Then the CFT technique is used to compute two orders of the expansion in the SL perturbation parameter $λ$, while the matrix model gives results which are non-perturbative in $λ$. The matrix model results perfectly match those of string theory in the small $λ$ expansion. We also generalize our findings to the case of perturbation by several tachyon vertex operators carrying different momenta, and obtain interesting analytic predictions for the disk two-point and annulus one-point functions with ZZ boundary condition.

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arXiv2023

Islands outside the horizon

We consider an AdS$_2$ black hole in equilibrium with a bath, which we take to have a dual description as (0+1)-dimensional quantum mechanical system coupled to a (1+1)-dimensional field theory serving as the bath. We compute the entropies of both the quantum mechanical degrees of freedom and of the bath separately, while allowing contributions from entanglement wedge "islands". We find situations where the island extends {\it outside} the black hole horizon. This suggests possible causality paradoxes which we show are avoided because of the quantum focusing conjecture. Finally, we formulate a version of the information paradox for a black hole in contact with a bath in the Hartle-Hawking state, and demonstrate the role of islands in resolving this paradox.

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arXiv2022

The ZZ annulus one-point function in non-critical string theory: A string field theory analysis

We compute the ZZ annulus one-point function of the cosmological constant operator in non-critical string theory, regulating divergences from the boundaries of moduli space using string field theory. We identify a subtle issue in a previous analysis of these divergences, which was done in the context of the $c=1$ string theory, and where it had led to a mismatch with the prediction from the dual matrix quantum mechanics. After fixing this issue, we find a precise match to the expected answer in both the $c<1$ and $c=1$ cases. We also compute the disk two-point function, which is a quantity of the same order, and show that it too matches with the general prediction.

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arXiv2022

Normalization of ZZ instanton amplitudes in minimal string theory

We use insights from string field theory to analyze and cure the divergences in the cylinder diagram in minimal string theory with both boundaries lying on a ZZ brane. We focus on theories with worldsheet matter consisting of the $(2,p)$ minimal model plus Liouville theory, with total central charge 26, together with the usual $bc$-ghosts. The string field theory procedure gives a finite, purely imaginary normalization constant for non-perturbative effects in minimal string theory, or doubly non-perturbative effects in JT gravity. We find precise agreement with the prediction from the dual double-scaled one-matrix integral. We also make a few remarks about the extension of this result to the more general $(p',p)$ minimal string.

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arXiv2021

Comments on the Quantum Field Theory of the Coulomb Gas Formalism

The holomorphic Coulomb gas formalism is a set of rules for computing minimal model observables using free field techniques. We attempt to derive and clarify these rules using standard techniques of QFT. We begin with a careful examination of the timelike linear dilaton. Although the background charge $Q$ breaks the scalar field's continuous shift symmetry, the exponential of the action is invariant under a discrete shift because $Q$ is imaginary. Gauging this symmetry makes the dilaton compact and introduces winding modes into the spectrum. One of these winding operators corresponds to the BRST current first introduced by Felder. The cohomology of this BRST charge isolates the irreducible representations of the Virasoro algebra within the linear dilaton Fock space, and the supertrace in the BRST complex reproduces the minimal model partition function. The model at the radius $R=\sqrt{pp'}$ has two marginal operators corresponding to the Dotsenko-Fateev screening charges. Deforming by them, we obtain a model that might be called a "BRST quotiented compact timelike Liouville theory." The Hamiltonian of the zero-mode quantum mechanics is not Hermitian, but it is $PT$-symmetric and exactly solvable. Its eigenfunctions have support on an infinite number of plane waves, suggesting an infinite reduction in the number of independent states in the full QFT. Applying conformal perturbation theory to the exponential interactions reproduces the Coulomb gas calculations of minimal model correlators. In contrast to spacelike Liouville, these resonance correlators are finite because the zero mode is compact. We comment on subtleties regarding the reflection operator identification, as well as naive violations of truncation in correlators with multiple reflection operators inserted. This work is part of an attempt to understand the relationship between JT gravity and the $(2,p)$ minimal string.

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arXiv2021

Sphere and disk partition functions in Liouville and in matrix integrals

We compute the sphere and disk partition functions in semiclassical Liouville and analogous quantities in double-scaled matrix integrals. The quantity sphere/disk^2 is unambiguous and we find a precise numerical match between the Liouville answer and the matrix integral answer. An application is to show that the sphere partition function in JT gravity is infinite.

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arXiv2021

Free fermion entanglement with a semitransparent interface: the effect of graybody factors on entanglement islands

We study the entanglement entropy of free fermions in 2d in the presence of a partially transmitting interface that splits Minkowski space into two half-spaces. We focus on the case of a single interval that straddles the defect, and compute its entanglement entropy in three limits: Perturbing away from the fully transmitting and fully reflecting cases, and perturbing in the amount of asymmetry of the interval about the defect. Using these results within the setup of the Poincaré patch of AdS$_2$ statically coupled to a zero temperature flat space bath, we calculate the effect of a partially transmitting AdS$_2$ boundary on the location of the entanglement island region. The partially transmitting boundary is a toy model for black hole graybody factors. Our results indicate that the entanglement island region behaves in a monotonic fashion as a function of the transmission/reflection coefficient at the interface.

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arXiv2021

The double cone geometry is stable to brane nucleation

In gauge/gravity duality, the bulk double cone geometry has been argued to account for a key feature of the spectral form factor known as the ramp. This feature is deeply associated with quantum chaos in the dual field theory. The connection with the ramp has been demonstrated in detail for two-dimensional theories of bulk gravity, but it appears natural in higher dimensions as well. In a general bulk theory the double cone might thus be expected to dominate the semiclassical bulk path integral for the boundary spectral form factor in the ramp regime. While other known spacetime wormholes have been shown to be unstable to brane nucleation when they dominate over known disconnected (factorizing) solutions, we argue that the double cone is stable to semiclassical brane nucleation at the probe-brane level in a variety of string- and M-theory settings. Possible implications for the AdS/CFT factorization problem are briefly discussed.

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arXiv2020

Density matrices in quantum gravity

We study density matrices in quantum gravity, focusing on topology change. We argue that the inclusion of bra-ket wormholes in the gravity path integral is not a free choice, but is dictated by the specification of a global state in the multi-universe Hilbert space. Specifically, the Hartle-Hawking (HH) state does not contain bra-ket wormholes. It has recently been pointed out that bra-ket wormholes are needed to avoid potential bags-of-gold and strong subadditivity paradoxes, suggesting a problem with the HH state. Nevertheless, in regimes with a single large connected universe, approximate bra-ket wormholes can emerge by tracing over the unobserved universes. More drastic possibilities are that the HH state is non-perturbatively gauge equivalent to a state with bra-ket wormholes, or that the third-quantized Hilbert space is one-dimensional. Along the way we draw some helpful lessons from the well-known relation between worldline gravity and Klein-Gordon theory. In particular, the commutativity of boundary-creating operators, which is necessary for constructing the alpha states and having a dual ensemble interpretation, is subtle. For instance, in the worldline gravity example, the Klein-Gordon field operators do not commute at timelike separation.

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arXiv2020

Entanglement islands in higher dimensions

It has been suggested in recent work that the Page curve of Hawking radiation can be recovered using computations in semi-classical gravity provided one allows for "islands" in the gravity region of quantum systems coupled to gravity. The explicit computations so far have been restricted to black holes in two-dimensional Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity. In this note, we numerically construct a five-dimensional asymptotically AdS geometry whose boundary realizes a four-dimensional Hartle-Hawking state on an eternal AdS black hole in equilibrium with a bath. We also numerically find two types of extremal surfaces: ones that correspond to having or not having an island. The version of the information paradox involving the eternal black hole exists in this setup, and it is avoided by the presence of islands. Thus, recent computations exhibiting islands in two-dimensional gravity generalize to higher dimensions as well.

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arXiv2019

Matrix ensembles with global symmetries and 't Hooft anomalies from 2d gauge theory

The Hilbert space of a quantum system with internal global symmetry $G$ decomposes into sectors labelled by irreducible representations of $G$. If the system is chaotic, the energies in each sector should separately resemble ordinary random matrix theory. We show that such "sector-wise" random matrix ensembles arise as the boundary dual of two-dimensional gravity with a $G$ gauge field in the bulk. Within each sector, the eigenvalue density is enhanced by a nontrivial factor of the dimension of the representation, and the ground state energy is determined by the quadratic Casimir. We study the consequences of 't Hooft anomalies in the matrix ensembles, which are incorporated by adding specific topological terms to the gauge theory action. The effect is to introduce projective representations into the decomposition of the Hilbert space. Finally, we consider ensembles with $G$ symmetry and time reversal symmetry, and analyze a simple case of a mixed anomaly between time reversal and an internal $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry.

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