The gravitational collapse in asymptotically AdS spacetimes is studied, using the differential configurational entropy (DCE). The DCE is shown to comply with the instability of the Einstein-Klein-Gordon system, leading to different stages in the route to turbulence and final black hole formation, including near the critical behavior.
We study gravitational perturbations of the Kerr-AdS_5 x S^5 spacetime with equal angular momenta. In this spacetime, we found the two kinds of classical instabilities, superradiant and Gregory-Laflamme instabilities. The superradiant instability is caused by the wave amplification via superradiance, and by wave reflection due to the potential barrier of the AdS spacetime. The Gregory-Laflamme instability appears in Kaluza-Klein modes of the internal space S^5 and breaks the symmetry SO(6). Taken into account these instabilities, the phase structure of Kerr-AdS_5 x S^5 spacetime is revealed. T…
Fermions scattering on a black hole background cannot develop an instability sourced by superradiance. However, in a global (or planar) AdS$_4$-Reissner-Nordström background fermions can violate the AdS$_2$ fermionic mass stability bound as measured by a near horizon observer at zero temperature. This suggests that AdS-Reissner-Nordström black holes might still be unstable to Dirac perturbations. Motivated by this observation we search for linear mode instabilities of Dirac fields in these backgrounds but find none. This is in contrast with the scalar field case, where a violation of the near-…
We study the thermodynamic stability of the Kerr-AdS black hole from the perturbative corrections to the gravitational partition function. The line of critical stability is identified by the appearance of a negative mode of the Euclidean action that renders the partition function ill-defined. The eigenvalue problem, consisting of a system of three coupled partial differential equations for the metric perturbations, is solved numerically. The agreement with the standard condition of thermodynamic stability in the grand canonical ensemble is remarkable. The results illustrate the physical signif…
Locally AdS$_{d-1}\times\mathbb{R}$ uniform black strings (UBS) in the presence of a massless scalar field are believed to avoid the onset of the Gregory-Laflamme (GL) instability in $d\ge4$ as no tachyonic modes exist in the spectrum of the Laplace-Beltrami operator. We present analytic and numerical evidence of GL modes in the Lichnerowicz spectrum indicating that AdS$_{d-1}$ UBSs are classically and thermodynamically unstable at the linear level in $d>4$. In $d=4$, we confirm that uniform BTZ$_3$ strings are indeed stable as previously suggested. We propose that linear instabilities of blac…
We extend the study of the non-linear perturbative theory of weakly turbulent energy cascades in AdS$_{d+1}$ to include solutions of driven systems, i.e. those with time-dependent sources on the AdS boundary. This necessitates the activation of non-normalizable modes in the linear solution for the massive bulk scalar field, which couple to the metric and normalizable scalar modes. We determine analytic expressions for secular terms in the renormalization flow equations for any mass, and for various driving functions. Finally, we numerically evaluate these sources for $d = 4$ and discuss what r…
We study "multitrace" deformations of large N master fields in models with a mass gap. In particular, we determine the conditions for the multitrace couplings to drive tachyonic instabilities. These tachyons represent new local instabilities of the associated nonlocal string theories. In the particular case of Dp-branes at finite temperature, we consider topology-changing phase transitions and the effect of multitrace perturbations on the corresponding phase diagrams.
It has been recently observed that a scalar field with Robin boundary conditions (RBCs) can trigger both a superradiant and a bulk instability for a BTZ black hole (BH). To understand the generality and scrutinize the origin of this behavior, we consider here the superradiant instability of a Kerr BH confined either in a mirror-like cavity or in AdS space, triggered also by a scalar field with RBCs. These boundary conditions are the most general ones that ensure the cavity/AdS space is an isolated system, and include, as a particular case, the commonly considered Dirichlet boundary conditions …
We investigate spatially modulated instabilities of magnetically charged $AdS_{2}\times\mathbb{R}^2$, $AdS_{3}\times\mathbb{R}^2$ and $AdS_{2}\times\mathbb{R}^3$ backgrounds in a broad class of theories, including those arising from KK reductions of ten and eleven dimensional supergravity. We show that magnetically charged black brane solutions in D=4,5 spacetime dimensions, whose zero temperature near horizon limit approach these backgrounds, can have instabilities that are dual to phases with current density waves that spontaneously break translation symmetry. Our examples include spatially …
With one exception, all known non-supersymmetric AdS$_4$ and AdS$_5$ vacua of gauged maximal supergravities that descend from string and M theory have been shown to have modes with mass below the BF bound. The remaining non-supersymmetric AdS solution is perturbatively stable within gauged maximal supergravity, and hence appears to contradict recent conjectures about the AdS stability based on the weak gravity conjecture. We show that this solution is actually unstable by exhibiting a new decay channel, which is only visible when the solution is uplifted to eleven dimensions. In particular, M2…
In this contribution we review the ideas and results presented in the articles arXiv:2002.01764 and arXiv:2110.08276 where the decay of AdS vacua into bubbles of nothing is studied. We firstly consider AdS vacua in General Relativity with a cosmological constant and in arbitrary dimensions. In this context we study a class of gravitational instantons generalizing the Witten's bubble of nothing and we discuss the derivation of the euclidean action. Secondly we consider a "stringy" non-supersymmetric AdS$_4$ vacuum arising in a compactification of massive IIA supergravity on a $S^6$ and preservi…
We classify the non-supersymmetric, and perturbatively stable within $D=4$, AdS vacua of maximal $D=4$ supergravity with a dyonic ISO(7) gauging in a large sector of the supergravity. Seven such vacua are established within this sector, all of them giving rise to non-supersymmetric $\textrm{AdS}_{4} \times \textrm{S}^{6}$ type IIA backgrounds with and without non-trivial warpings and with internal fluxes. Then, we analyse the dynamics of various probe D$p$-branes in these backgrounds searching for potential brane-jet instabilities. In all these cases, such instabilities are absent. Finally, an…
Based on the QCD string picture at confining phase, we conjecture that the deconfinement transition always accompanies a condensation of higher meson resonances with a power-law behavior, "meson turbulence". We employ the AdS/CFT correspondence to calculate the meson turbulence for $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric QCD at large $N_c$ and at strong coupling limit, and find that the energy distribution to each meson level $n$ scales as $n^α$ with the universal scaling $α=-5$. The universality is checked for various ways to attain the quark deconfinement: a static electric field below/around the cri…
Scalar and gravitational perturbations on Kerr-anti-de Sitter (Kerr-AdS) black holes have been addressed in the literature and have been shown to exhibit a rich phenomenology. In this paper we complete the analysis of bosonic fields on this background by studying Maxwell perturbations, focusing on superradiant instabilities and vector clouds. For this purpose, we solve the Teukolsky equations numerically, imposing the boundary conditions we have proposed in\cite{Wang:2015goa} for the radial Teukolsky equation. As found therein, two Robin boundary conditions can be imposed for Maxwell fields on…
We investigate instabilities of $F(R)$-charged $AdS_{4}$ black holes by a massive charged scalar field in a linear perturbation regime. We study tachyonic instabilities as the near horizon scalar condensation in a model of $F(R)$ gravity with planar horizon and investigate properties of possible phase transitions. The results show that such transitions are sensitive to the first derivative of $F(R)$ with respect to $R$ in that the larger its value, the higher the critical temperature, thus resulting in a new generation of high-temperature superconductors. Also, for a certain range of parameter…
The authors of arXiv:1610.01533 have recently proposed a stronger version of the weak gravity conjecture (WGC), based on which they concluded that all those non-supersymmetric AdS vacua that can be embedded within a constistent theory of quantum gravity necessarily develop instabilities. In this paper we further elaborate on this proposal by arguing that the aforementioned instabilities have a perturbative nature and arise from the crucial interplay between the closed and the open string sectors of the theory.
We study 4d membranes in type IIA flux compactifications of the form AdS$_4 \times X_6$, where $X_6$ admits a Calabi--Yau metric. These models feature scale separation and D6-branes/O6-planes on three-cycles of $X_6$. When the latter are treated as localised sources, explicit solutions to the 10d equations of motion and Bianchi identities are known in 4d $\mathcal{N}=1$ settings, valid at first order in an expansion parameter related to the AdS$_4$ cosmological constant. We extend such solutions to a family of perturbatively stable $\mathcal{N}=0$ vacua, and analyse their non-perturbative stab…
We consider massive type IIA orientifold compactifications of the form AdS$_4 \times X_6$, where $X_6$ admits a Calabi-Yau metric and is threaded by background fluxes. From a 4d viewpoint, fluxes generate a potential whose vacua have been classified, including one $\mathcal{N}=1$ and three perturbatively stable $\mathcal{N}=0$ branches. We reproduce this result from a 10d viewpoint, by solving the type IIA equations at the same level of detail as previously done for the $\mathcal{N}=1$ branch. All solutions exhibit localised sources and parametric scale separation. We then analyse the non-pert…
We discuss new types of instabilities of D=4 electrically charged AdS-Reissner-Nordström black branes that involve neutral pseudo-scalars. The instabilities spontaneously break translational invariance and are associated with the dual three-dimensional CFTs, at finite temperature and fixed chemical potential with respect to a global abelian symmetry, acquiring striped phases. We show that such instabilities are present for the infinite class of skew-whiffed $AdS_4\times SE_7$ solutions of D=11 supergravity, albeit at a lower temperature than the known superfluid instabilities.
We show that scalar as well as vector and tensor metric perturbations in the Randall-Sundrum II braneworld allow normalizable tachyonic modes, i.e., possible instabilities. These instabilities require nonvanishing initial anisotropic stresses on the brane. We show with a specific example that within the Randall-Sundrum II model, even though the tachyonic modes are excited, no instability develops. We argue, however, that in the cosmological context instabilities might in principle be present. We conjecture that the tachyonic modes are due to the singularity of the orbifold construction. We ill…
Products of large-N conformal field theories coupled by multi-trace interactions in diverse dimensions are used to define quantum multi-gravity (multi-string theory) on a union of (asymptotically) AdS spaces. One-loop effects generate a small O(1/N) mass for some of the gravitons. The boundary gauge theory and the AdS/CFT correspondence are used as guiding principles to study and draw conclusions on some of the well known problems of massive gravity - classical instabilities and strong coupling effects. We find examples of stable multi-graviton theories where the usual strong coupling effects …
We investigate the superradiant instability for a charged scalar field in a $D$-dimensional small Reissner-Nordström-Anti-de Sitter (RN-AdS) black hole. Firstly, we solve the charged Klein-Gordon equation analytically by a matching method. We show that the general $D$-dimensional quasinormal frequencies depend on the relation between the angular momentum quantum number, $\ell$, and $D$. When $\ell$ is a (non-negative) integer multiple of $D-3$, i.e $\ell=p(D-3)$, we find an analytical quasinormal frequency formula adding a purely imaginary correction to the AdS normal frequencies. This is the …
We show how to extend the usual black string instability of vacuum or charged black p-branes to the anti-de Sitter background. The string fragments in an analogous fashion to the $Λ=0$ case, the main difference being that instead of a periodic array of black holes forming, an accumulation of ``mini'' black holes occurs towards the AdS horizon. In the case where the AdS space is of finite extent, such as an orbifold compactification, we show how the instability switches off below a certain compactification scale.
We consider probe Dp-branes, p=3,5,7, in global AdS_5 x S^5, rotating along an internal direction in the S^5. These are dual to strongly interacting N=4 SYM on S^3 with massless fundamental flavours, in the presence of an R-symmetry chemical potential for flavour fermions. For massless, "AdS-filling" Dp-brane embeddings at zero temperature, we find an infinite set of threshold values of the chemical potential at which instabilities are triggered. The onset of instability is always preceded by metastability of the zero density state. From the onset values of the chemical potential, we infer tha…
We discuss two types of instabilities which may arise in string theory compactified to asymptotically AdS spaces: perturbative, due to discrete modes in the spectrum of the Laplacian, and non-perturbative, due to brane nucleation. In the case of three dimensional Einstein manifolds, we completely characterize the presence of these instabilities, and in higher dimensions we provide a partial classification. The analysis may be viewed as an extension of the Breitenlohner-Freedman bound. One interesting result is that, apart from a very special class of exceptions, all Euclidean asymptotically Ad…
We compute a one-loop effective action for the constant modes of the scalars and the Polyakov loop matrix of N=4 SYM on S^3 at finite temperature and weak 't Hooft coupling. Above a critical temperature, the effective potential develops new unstable directions accompanied by new saddle points which only preserve an SO(5) subgroup of the SO(6) global R-symmetry. We identify this phenomenon as the weak coupling version of the well known Gregory-Laflamme localization instability in the gravity dual of the strongly coupled field theory: The small AdS_5 black hole when viewed as a ten dimensional, …
We study fermion pairing and condensation towards an ordered state in strongly coupled quantum critical systems with a holographic AdS/CFT dual. On the gravity side this is modeled by a system of charged fermion interacting through a BCS coupling. At finite density such a system has a BCS instability. We combine the relativistic version of mean-field BCS with the semi-classical fluid approximation for the many-body state of fermions. The resulting groundstate is the AdS equivalent of a charged neutron star with a superconducting core. The spectral function of the fermions confirms that the gro…
We discuss non-perturbative instabilities, mediated by bubbles of nothing, in the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence. By exploring the phase diagram of such decays we give an interpretation of the process in terms of an effective potential in a quantum mechanics of a single variable, a winding mode condensate. The decay corresponds to a conventional first order transition, the true vacuum being a non-geometrical "nothing" state.
We speculate that the weak gravity conjecture applied to theories with holographic duals bans the existence of disordered phases at zero temperature. We test this idea by introducing a non-zero baryon chemical potential in a deformation of the $SU(N_c)\times SU(N_c)$ Klebanov-Witten gauge theory with broken supersymmetry and conformal invariance. At low temperature, a disordered phase dual to a black brane geometry is unstable for low chemical potentials and metastable for high values. In the metastable phase, states with a partial Higgsing of the gauge group are favored over the normal disord…
A wave impinging on a Kerr black hole can be amplified as it scatters off the hole if certain conditions are satisfied giving rise to superradiant scattering. By placing a mirror around the black hole one can make the system unstable. This is the black hole bomb of Press and Teukolsky. We investigate in detail this process and compute the growing timescales and oscillation frequencies as a function of the mirror's location. It is found that in order for the system black hole plus mirror to become unstable there is a minimum distance at which the mirror must be located. We also give an explicit…