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Robert B. Mann

Publications and source records attributed to Robert B. Mann.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

Gravitational Lensing by Black Holes in Einsteinian Cubic Gravity

We investigate the predictions of Einsteinian Cubic Gravity (ECG) for the lensing effects due to supermassive black holes at the center of Milky Way and other galaxies. Working in the context of spherical symmetry, we obtain the metric function from a continued fraction method and find that both time delays and the angular positions of images considerably deviate from general relativity, as large as milliarcseconds. This suggests that observational tests of ECG are indeed feasible.

gr-qc↗

Shadow and Deflection Angle of Rotating Black Holes in Perfect Fluid Dark Matter with a Cosmological Constant

The presence of dark matter around a black hole remarkably affects its spacetime. We consider the effects of dark matter on the shadow of a new solution to the Einstein equations that describes a rotating black hole in the background of perfect dark matter fluid (PFDM), along with its extension to nonzero cosmological constant $Λ$. Working in Boyer-Lindquist coordinates, we consider the effects of the PFDM parameter $α$ on the shadow cast by a black hole with respect to an observer at position $(r_o,θ_o)$. By applying the Gauss-Bonnet theorem to the optical geometry we find that notable distortions from a Kerr black hole can occur. We describe their dependence on $α$ and $Λ$.

gr-qc↗

Energy of asymptotically AdS black holes in Exotic Massive Gravity and its log-extension

Recently a new three-dimensional theory of gravity, dubbed Exotic Massive Gravity, was proposed as a unitary theory both in the bulk as well as in the dual CFT. This is the second simplest example, the first being Minimal Massive Gravity. Since the divergence of the field equations vanishes on-shell, Exotic Massive Gravity has third-way consistency. Here we show how to compute mass and angular momentum in this theory, and then implement our result in various solutions, both for generic values of the couplings as well as at chiral points of the theory. For the latter, the asymptotic AdS behaviour is relaxed and the metric acquires logarithmic terms, which may lead to a logarithmic CFT in the boundary. Remarkably, even in the presence of this relaxed asymptotic behaviour, the charges turn out to be finite, defining non-linear solutions of what could be called Exotic Log Gravity.

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Holographic Thermodynamics of Accelerating Black Holes

We present a careful study of accelerating black holes in anti-de Sitter spacetime, formulating the thermodynamics and resolving discrepancies that have appeared in previous investigations of the topic. We compute the dual stress-energy tensor for the spacetime and identify the energy density associated with a static observer at infinity. The dual energy-momentum tensor can be written as a three-dimensional perfect fluid plus a non-hydrodynamic contribution with a universal coefficient which is given in gauge theory variables. We demonstrate that both the holographic computation and the method of conformal completion yield the same result for the mass. We compare to previous work on black funnels and droplets, showing that the boundary region can be endowed with non-compact geometry, and comment on this novel holographic dual geometry.

hep-th↗

Particle Detectors, Cavities, and the Weak Equivalence Principle

We analyze a quantum version of the weak equivalence principle, in which we compare the response of a static particle detector crossed by an accelerated cavity with the response of an accelerated detector crossing a static cavity in (1+1)-dimensional flat spacetime. We show, for both massive and massless scalar fields, that the non-locality of the field is enough for the detector to distinguish the two scenarios. We find this result holds for vacuum and excited field states of different kinds and we clarify the role of field mass in this setup.

quant-ph↗

Potential tests of the Generalized Uncertainty Principle in the advanced LIGO experiment

The generalized uncertainty principle and a minimum measurable length arise in various theories of gravity and predict Planck-scale modifications of the canonical position-momentum commutation relation. Postulating a similar modified commutator between the canonical variables of the electromagnetic field in quantum optics, we compute Planck-scale corrections to the radiation pressure noise and shot noise of Michelson-Morley interferometers, with particular attention to gravity wave detectors such as LIGO. We show that advanced LIGO is potentially sensitive enough to observe Planck-scale effects and thereby indirectly a minimal length. We also propose estimates for the bounds on quantum gravity parameters from current and future advanced LIGO experiments.

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Entangling detectors in anti-de Sitter space

We examine in $(2+1)$-dimensional anti-de Sitter (AdS) space the phenomena of entanglement harvesting - the process in which a pair of detectors (two-level atoms) extract entanglement from a quantum field through local interactions with the field. We begin by reviewing the Unruh-DeWitt detector and its interaction with a real scalar field in the vacuum state, as well as the entanglement harvesting protocol in general. We then examine how the entanglement harvested by a pair of such detectors depends on their spacetime trajectory, separation, spacetime curvature, and boundary conditions satisfied by the field. The harvested entanglement is interpreted as an indicator of field entanglement between the localized regions where the detectors interact with the field, and thus this investigation allows us to probe indirectly the entanglement structure of the AdS vacuum. We find an island of separability for specific values of the detectors' energy gap and separation at intermediate values of the AdS length for which entanglement harvesting is not possible; an analogous phenomena is observed in AdS$_4$, to which we compare and contrast our results. In the process we examine how the transition probability of a single detector, as a proxy for local fluctuations of the field, depends on spacetime curvature, its location in AdS space, and boundary conditions satisfied by the field.

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Unruh-DeWitt detectors and entanglement: the anti-de Sitter space

We investigate entanglement harvesting in AdS$_4$. Applying the general results of [Phys. Rev. D 97, 125011 (2018)], we consider two scenarios: one where two particle detectors are geodesic, with equal redshift; and one where both are static, at unequal redshift. As expected, at large AdS length $L$, our results approximate flat space. However at smaller $L$ we observe non-trivial effects for various field boundary conditions. Furthermore, in the static case we observe a novel feature of the entanglement as a function of switching time delay, which we attribute to different (coordinate) frequencies of the detectors. We also find an island of separability in parameter space, analogous that that observed in AdS$_3$, to which we compare and contrast our other results. The variety of features observed in both cases suggest further study in other spacetimes.

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Reverse Hawking-Page Phase Transition in de Sitter Black Holes

In the context of black hole chemistry, we study the thermodynamics of asymptotically de Sitter black holes with conformal scalar hair in Einstein gravity. The hair parameter allows us to attain thermodynamic equilibrium between the event horizon and the cosmological horizon. We find that the system of the black hole and the de Sitter space surrounding it undergo a Reverse Hawking-Page phase transition provided we consider the grand-canonical ensemble.

hep-th↗

NUTs and bolts beyond Lovelock

We construct a plethora of new Euclidean AdS-Taub-NUT and bolt solutions of several four- and six-dimensional higher-curvature theories of gravity with various base spaces $\mathcal{B}$. In $D=4$, we consider Einsteinian cubic gravity, for which we construct solutions with $\mathcal{B}=\mathbb{S}^2,\mathbb{T}^2$. These represent the first generalizations of the Einstein gravity Taub-NUT/bolt solutions for any higher-curvature theory in four dimensions. In $D=6$, we show that no new solutions are allowed for any Generalized quasi-topological gravity at cubic order. They exist however when we consider quartic Quasi-topological and Generalized quasi-topological terms, for which we construct new solutions with $\mathcal{B}=\mathbb{CP}^2,\mathbb{S}^2\times\mathbb{S}^2,\mathbb{S}^2\times\mathbb{T}^2,\mathbb{T}^2\times\mathbb{T}^2$. In all cases, the solutions are characterized by a single metric function, and they reduce to the corresponding ones in Einstein gravity when the higher-curvature couplings are set to zero. While the explicit profiles must be constructed numerically (except for a few cases), we obtain fully analytic expressions for the thermodynamic properties of all solutions. The new solutions present important differences with respect to Einstein gravity, including regular bolts for arbitrary values of the NUT charge, critical points, and re-entrant phase transitions.

hep-th↗

Entanglement harvesting from multiple massless scalar fields and divergences in Unruh-DeWitt detector models

We analyze scenarios in which pairs of Unruh-DeWitt-like detectors interact with scalar field(s) with bi-linear and quadratic coupling. For all cases -- real scalar fields, charged scalar fields, and even for couplings mixing two different scalar fields -- we find that the detectors' dynamics depends on the Wightman function of a real scalar field with the same functional form up to a constant multiple. Consequently, entanglement harvesting exhibits low sensitivity to either the kind of scalar field or their charged nature. Furthermore, we show on general grounds that pairs of Unruh-DeWitt-like detectors exhibit persistent divergences when they interact with scalar field(s) with a quadratic or bi-linear coupling and discuss possible avenues to improve the models through the regularization of such divergences.

quant-ph↗

Gravity is not a Pairwise Local Classical Channel

It is currently believed that there is no experimental evidence on possibly quantum features of gravity or gravity-motivated modifications of quantum mechanics. Here we show that single-atom interference experi- ments achieving large spatial superpositions can rule out a framework where the Newtonian gravitational inter- action is fundamentally classical in the information-theoretic sense: it cannot convey entanglement. Specifically, in this framework gravity acts pairwise between massive particles as classical channels, which effectively induce approximately Newtonian forces between the masses. The experiments indicate that if gravity does reduce to the pairwise Newtonian interaction between atoms at the low energies, this interaction cannot arise from the exchange of just classical information, and in principle has the capacity to create entanglement. We clarify that, contrary to current belief, the classical-channel description of gravity differs from the model of Diosi and Penrose, which is not constrained by the same data.

quant-ph↗

Topological and Time Dependence of the Action-Complexity Relation

We consider the dependence of the recently proposed action/complexity duality conjecture on time and on the underlying topology of the bulk spacetime. For the former, we compute the dependence of the CFT complexity on a boundary temporal parameter and find it to be commensurate with corresponding computations carried out in terms of the rate of change of the bulk action on a Wheeler deWitt (WDW) patch. For the latter, we compare the action/complexity relation for $(d+1)$-dimensional Schwarzschild AdS black holes to those of their geon counterparts, obtained via topological identification in the bulk spacetime. The complexity/action duality holds in both cases, but with the proportionality changed by a factor of 4, indicating sensitivity to spacetime topology.

hep-th↗

New techniques for entanglement harvesting in flat and curved spacetimes

We present a new technique for computing entanglement harvesting with Unruh-DeWitt particle detectors. The method is particularly useful in cases where analytic solutions are rare and the Wightman function is known only via its mode expansion for which numerical integration can become very expensive. By exploiting the conjugate symmetry of the Wightman function, we may split the integral into parts dependent on the commutator and anti-commutator of the field. In cases where the commutator vanishes, such as spacelike separation, or timelike separation if the strong Huygens principle holds, we then show that the entangling term of the bipartite density matrix can be expressed in terms of the much simpler mutual information term. For the vacuum state, this can be translated into a simple Fourier transform, and thus a single sum over modes, simplifying the procurement of closed expressions. We demonstrate this for Minkowski space, finding an analytical solution where none was previously known.

quant-ph↗

An Optomechanical Quantum Cavendish Experiment

An open question in experimental physics is the characterization of gravitational effects in quantum regimes. We propose an experimental set-up that uses well-tested techniques in cavity optomechanics to observe the effects of the gravitational interaction between two micro-mechanical oscillators on the interference of the cavity photons through the shifts in the visibility of interfering photons. The gravitational coupling leads to a shift in the period and magnitude of the visibility whose observability is within reach of current technology. We discuss the feasibility of the set-up as well as the effects on entanglement due to gravitational interaction.

quant-ph↗

Work extraction using Gaussian operations in non-interacting fermionic systems

We investigate work extraction from non-interacting fermions under arbitrary unitary operations and the more restricted class of Gaussian unitary operations that can be feasibly implemented. We characterize general quantum states in fermionic systems according to their ability to yield work (or not) under such transformations and study the limit for which multiple copies of passive states in fermionic systems can be activated for work extraction. We find that a sufficient number of copies of non-thermal passive states can achieve this, yielding an upper bound on the number of copies needed.

quant-ph↗

Dilatonic Imprints on Exact Gravitational Wave Signatures

By employing the moduli space approximation, we analytically calculate the gravitational wave signatures emitted upon the merger of two extremally charged dilatonic black holes. We probe several values of the dilatonic coupling constant $a$, and find significant departures from the Einstein--Maxwell ($a=0$) counterpart studied in arXiv:1704.08520. For (low energy) string theory black holes $(a=1)$ there are no coalescence orbits and only a memory effect is observed, whereas for an intermediate value of the coupling $(a=1/\sqrt{3})$ the late-time merger signature becomes exponentially suppressed, compared to the polynomial decay in the $a=0$ case without a dilaton. Such an imprint is in principle observable and could reveal the presence of a scalar field (as for example predicted by string theory) in black hole mergers.

gr-qc↗

Shadows, Signals, and Stability in Einsteinian Cubic Gravity

We conduct a preliminary investigation into the phenomenological implications of Einsteinian cubic gravity (ECG), a 4-dimensional theory of gravity cubic in curvature of interest for its unique formulation and properties. We find an analytic approximation for a spherically symmetric black hole solution to this theory using a continued fraction ansatz. This approximate solution is valid everywhere outside of the horizon and we use it to study the orbit of massive test bodies near a black hole, specifically computing the innermost stable circular orbit. We compute constraints on the ECG coupling parameter imposed by Shapiro time delay. We then compute the shadow of an ECG black hole and find it to be larger than its Einsteinian counterpart in general relativity for the same value of the mass. Applying our results to Sgr A*, we find that departures from general relativity are small but in principle distinguishable.

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