arXiv subjects

Roberto Emparan

Publications and source records attributed to Roberto Emparan.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

arXiv2001

Exact Gravitational Shockwaves and Planckian Scattering on Branes

We obtain a solution describing a gravitational shockwave propagating along a Randall-Sundrum brane. The interest of such a solution is twofold: on the one hand, it is the first exact solution for a localized source on a Randall-Sundrum three-brane. On the other hand, one can use it to study forward scattering at Planckian energies, including the effects of the continuum of Kaluza-Klein modes. We map out the different regimes for the scattering obtained by varying the center-of-mass energy and the impact parameter. We also discuss exact shockwaves in ADD scenarios with compact extra dimensions.

hep-th↗

arXiv2001

Self-gravity of Brane Worlds: A New Hierarchy Twist

We examine the inclusion of brane self-gravity in brane-world scenarios with three or more compact extra dimensions. If the brane is a thin, localized one, then we find that the geometry in its vicinity is warped in such a way that gravity on the brane can become very weak, independently of the volume of the extra dimensions. As a consequence, self-gravity can make the brane structure enter into the determination of the hierarchy between the Planck scale and a lower fundamental scale. In an extreme case, one can obtain a novel reformulation of the hierarchy problem in brane worlds, without the need for large-size extra dimensions; the hierarchy would be generated when the ratio between the scales of brane tension and brane thickness is large. In a sense, such a scenario is half-way between the one of Arkani-Hamed et al.(ADD) (although with TeV-mass Kaluza-Klein states) and that of Randall and Sundrum (RS1) (but with only a TeV brane, and of positive tension). We discuss in detail the propagation of fields in the background of this geometry, and find that no problems appear even if the brane is taken to be very thin. We also discuss the presence of black branes and black holes in this setting, and the possibility of having a Planck brane.

hep-th↗

arXiv2001

Black holes on thick branes

The interplay between topological defects (branes) and black holes has been a subject of recent study, motivated in part by interest in brane-world scenarios. In this paper we analyze in detail the description of a black hole bound to a domain wall (a two-brane in four dimensions), for which an exact description in the limit of zero wall thickness has been given recently. We show how to smooth this singular solution with a thick domain wall. We also show that charged extremal black holes of a size (roughly) smaller than the brane thickness expel the wall, thereby extending the phenomenon of flux expulsion. Finally, we analyze the process of black hole nucleation {\it on} a domain wall, and argue that it is preferred over a previously studied mechanism of black hole nucleation {\it away} from the wall.

hep-th↗

arXiv2000

Black Hole Radiation On and Off the Brane

After a brief review of the description of black holes on branes, we examine the evaporation of a small black hole on a brane in a world with large extra dimensions. We show that, contrary to previous claims, most of the energy is radiated into the modes on the brane. This raises the possibility of observing Hawking radiation in future high energy colliders if there are large extra dimensions.

hep-th↗

arXiv2000

Black Holes Radiate Mainly on the Brane

We examine the evaporation of a small black hole on a brane in a world with large extra dimensions. Since the masses of many Kaluza-Klein modes are much smaller than the Hawking temperature of the black hole, it has been claimed that most of the energy is radiated into these modes. We show that this is incorrect. Most of the energy goes into the modes on the brane. This raises the possibility of observing Hawking radiation in future high energy colliders if there are large extra dimensions.

hep-th↗

arXiv2000

Black diholes

We present and analyze exact solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell and Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton equations that describe static pairs of oppositely charged extremal black holes, i.e., black diholes. The holes are suspended in equilibrium in an external magnetic field, or held apart by cosmic strings. We comment as well on the relation of these solutions to brane-antibrane configurations in string and M-theory.

hep-th↗

arXiv1999

Exact Description of Black Holes on Branes II: Comparison with BTZ Black Holes and Black Strings

We extend our recent discussion of four-dimensional black holes bound to a two-brane to include a negative cosmological constant on the brane. We find that for large masses, the solutions are precisely BTZ black holes on the brane, and BTZ `black strings' in the bulk. For smaller masses, there are localized black holes which look like BTZ with corrections that fall off exponentially. We compute when the maximum entropy configuration changes from the black string to the black hole. We also present exact solutions describing rotating black holes on two-branes which are either asymptotically flat or asymptotically $AdS_3$. The mass and angular momentum on the brane agree with that in the bulk.

hep-th↗

arXiv1999

Exact Description of Black Holes on Branes

To test recent ideas about lower dimensional gravity bound to a brane, we construct exact solutions describing black holes on two-branes in four dimensions. We find that 2+1 gravity is indeed recovered at large distances along the brane, although there are significant deviations at smaller scales. Large black holes appear as flattened "pancakes", with a relatively small extent off the brane. Black hole thermodynamics is discussed from both the standpoint of the brane and the bulk. We comment on the analogous black holes bound to higher dimensional branes.

hep-th↗

arXiv1999

Composite diholes and intersecting brane-antibrane configurations in string/M-theory

We construct new configurations of oppositely charged, static black hole pairs (diholes) in four dimensions which are solutions of low energy string/M-theory. The black holes are extremal and have four different charges. We also consider diholes in other theories with an arbitrary number of abelian gauge fields and scalars, where the black holes can be regarded as composite objects. We uplift the four-charge solutions to higher dimensions in order to describe intersecting brane-antibrane systems in string and M-theory. The properties of the strings and membranes stretched inbetween these branes and antibranes are studied. Several other generic features of these solutions are discussed.

hep-th↗

arXiv1999

Surface Terms as Counterterms in the AdS/CFT Correspondence

We examine the recently proposed technique of adding boundary counterterms to the gravitational action for spacetimes which are locally asymptotic to anti-de Sitter. In particular, we explicitly identify higher order counterterms, which allow us to consider spacetimes of dimensions d<=7. As the counterterms eliminate the need of ``background subtraction'' in calculating the action, we apply this technique to study examples where the appropriate background was ambiguous or unknown: topological black holes, Taub-NUT-AdS and Taub-Bolt-AdS. We also identify certain cases where the covariant counterterms fail to render the action finite, and we comment on the dual field theory interpretation of this result. In some examples, the case of vanishing cosmological constant may be recovered in a limit, which allows us to check results and resolve ambiguities in certain asymptotically flat spacetime computations in the literature.

hep-th↗

arXiv1999

AdS/CFT Duals of Topological Black Holes and the Entropy of Zero-Energy States

The horizon of a static black hole in Anti-deSitter space can be spherical, planar, or hyperbolic. The microscopic dynamics of the first two classes of black holes have been extensively discussed recently within the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence. We argue that hyperbolic black holes introduce new and fruitful features in this respect, allowing for more detailed comparisons between the weak and strong coupling regimes. In particular, by focussing on the stress tensor and entropy of some particular states, we identify unexpected increases in the entropy of Super-Yang-Mills theory at strong coupling that are not accompanied by increases in the energy. We describe a highly degenerate state at zero temperature and zero energy density. We also find that the entanglement entropy across a Rindler horizon in exact AdS_5 is larger than might have been expected from the dual SYM theory. Besides, we show that hyperbolic black holes can be described as thermal Rindler states of the dual conformal field theory in flat space.

hep-th↗

arXiv1999

Holography, Thermodynamics and Fluctuations of Charged AdS Black Holes

The physical properties of Reissner-Nordstrom black holes in (n+1)-dimensional anti-de Sitter spacetime are related, by a holographic map, to the physics of a class of n-dimensional field theories coupled to a background global current. Motivated by that fact, and the recent observations of the striking similarity between the thermodynamic phase structure of these black holes (in the canonical ensemble) and that of the van der Waals-Maxwell liquid-gas system, we explore the physics in more detail. We study fluctuations and stability within the equilibrium thermodynamics, examining the specific heats and electrical permittivity of the holes, and consider the analogue of the Clayperon equation at the phase boundaries. Consequently, we refine the phase diagrams in the canonical and grand canonical ensembles. We study the interesting physics in the neighbourhood of the critical point in the canonical ensemble. There is a second order phase transition found there, and that region is characterized by a Landau-Ginzburg model with A_3 potential. The holographically dual field theories provide the description of the microscopic degrees of freedom which underlie all of the thermodynamics, as can be seen by examining the form of the microscopic fluctuations.

hep-th↗

arXiv1999

Charged AdS Black Holes and Catastrophic Holography

We compute the properties of a class of charged black holes in anti-de Sitter space-time, in diverse dimensions. These black holes are solutions of consistent Einstein-Maxwell truncations of gauged supergravities, which are shown to arise from the inclusion of rotation in the transverse space. We uncover rich thermodynamic phase structures for these systems, which display classic critical phenomena, including structures isomorphic to the van der Waals-Maxwell liquid-gas system. In that case, the phases are controlled by the universal `cusp' and `swallowtail' shapes familiar from catastrophe theory. All of the thermodynamics is consistent with field theory interpretations via holography, where the dual field theories can sometimes be found on the world volumes of coincident rotating branes.

hep-th↗

arXiv1999

Vortices and extreme black holes: the question of flux expulsion

It has been claimed that extreme black holes exhibit a phenomenon of flux expulsion for abelian Higgs vortices, irrespective of the relative width of the vortex to the black hole. Recent work by two of the authors showed a subtlety in the treatment of the event horizon, which cast doubt on this claim. We analyse in detail the vortex/extreme black hole system, showing that while flux expulsion can occur, it does not do so in all cases. We give analytic proofs for both expulsion and penetration of flux, in each case deriving a bound for that behaviour. We also present extensive numerical work backing up, and refining, these claims, and showing in detail how a vortex can end on a black hole in all situations. We also calculate the backreaction of the vortex on the geometry, and comment on the more general vortex-black hole system.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1998

Large N Phases, Gravitational Instantons and the Nuts and Bolts of AdS Holography

Recent results in the literature concerning holography indicate that the thermodynamics of quantum gravity (at least with a negative cosmological constant) can be modeled by the large N thermodynamics of quantum field theory. We emphasize that this suggests a completely unitary evolution of processes in quantum gravity, including black hole formation and decay; and even more extreme examples involving topology change. As concrete examples which show that this correspondence holds even when the space-time is only locally asymptotically AdS, we compute the thermodynamical phase structure of the AdS-Taub-NUT and AdS-Taub-Bolt spacetimes, and compare them to a 2+1 dimensional conformal field theory (at large N) compactified on a squashed three sphere, and on the twisted plane.

hep-th↗

arXiv1998

Quantization of AdS_3 Black Holes in External Fields

2+1-dimensional Anti-deSitter gravity is quantized in the presence of an external scalar field. We find that the coupling between the scalar field and gravity is equivalently described by a perturbed conformal field theory at the boundary of AdS_3. We derive the explicit form of this coupling, which allows us to perform a microscopic computation of the transition rates between black hole states due to absorption and induced emission of the scalar field. Detailed thermodynamic balance then yields Hawking radiation as spontaneous emission, and we find agreement with the semiclassical result, including greybody factors. This result also has application to four and five dimensional black holes in supergravity. However, since we only deal with gravitational degrees of freedom, the approach is not based on string theory, and does not depend, either, on the validity of Maldacena's AdS/CFT conjecture.

hep-th↗

arXiv1998

AdS Membranes Wrapped on Surfaces of Arbitrary Genus

We present and analyze solutions of D=11 supergravity describing the ``near-horizon'' (i.e., asymptotically AdS_4 x S^7) geometry of M2-branes wrapped on surfaces of arbitrary genus. We study the forces experienced by test M2-branes in such backgrounds, and find evidence that extremal branes on surfaces of genera higher than the torus are unstable. Using the holographic connection between AdS spaces and superconformal field theories in the large N limit, we discuss the phases of the associated 2+1 dimensional theories. Finally, we also study the extension of these solutions to other branes, in particular to D2-branes.

hep-th↗

arXiv1997

Born-Infeld Strings Tunneling to D-branes

Recent work on solutions to the Born-Infeld theory used to describe D-branes suggests that fundamental strings can be viewed, in a certain limit, as D-branes whose worldvolumes have collapsed to string-like configurations. Here we address the possibility of undoing this collapse, by inducing the string to tunnel to an extended brane configuration. Using semiclassical methods we argue that, by putting one of these Born-Infeld strings in the background of a uniform 4-form RR field strength, the string can nucleate a spheroidal bulge of D2-brane, or, if the string is wrapped around a small enough circle, it can tunnel to a toroidal D2-brane. This process can also be interpreted in terms of the M2-brane. We also address the extension to other D$p$-branes, and discuss the range of validity of the approximations involved.

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