Search

The study of perturbations around black hole backgrounds in general relativity and Einstein-Maxwell theory has a long history, going back to the work of Regge and Wheeler in the 1950s. As part of a broader investigation of perturbations around black holes in supergravity, we describe here our results for the perturbations around the Gibbons-Maeda static charged black holes in a class of Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton theories. Our analysis follows the general strategy developed by Chandrasekhar and Xanthopoulos for the perturbations of the Reissner-Nordstr\"om black hole. Here, the analysis is considerably more involved, because of the presence of the dilaton field, which couples to the other polar modes. We nonetheless find that the problem is completely solvable, in the sense that one can separate variables and eventually describe all the perturbations in terms of diagonalised second-order radial equations. We are able to prove the mode stability of all the Gibbons-Maeda black hole solutions., Comment: 43 pages

This special feature, dedicated to Michael J. Duff FRS on the occasion of his 70th birthday, concerns topics in 'Quantum gravity, branes and M-theory'. These three intertwining subjects have been central to Duff's work; indeed many of his contributions have come to define significant aspects of what we actually mean by these terms. From the discovery of Weyl anomalies to recognising superstrings in 10 dimensions as a special case of membranes in an 11-dimensional M-theory, Duff's insights have shaped major developments across these themes. So it is an apposite setting for such a celebration and we are delighted to be able to include in this collection contributions from many of the pioneers of quantum gravity, branes and M-theory. The breadth of these topics has placed little constraint on the multiplicity of ideas appearing in these pages, from astrophysical black holes to chaotic condensed matter. Again, this is fitting as Duff's scientific remit spans a remarkable diversity of motifs, from the fundamentals of M-theory to entanglement in quantum information., Comment: Introduction to the Proceedings of the Royal Society A special feature "Quantum gravity, branes and M-theory", located at https://royalsocietypublishing.org/topic/special-collections/duff-quantum-gravity, dedicated to Michael J. Duff FRS on the occasion of his 70th birthday. 10 pages, 1 figure

In this paper we construct the subset of modes on $S^7$ that are relevant in the compactification of eleven-dimensional supergravity on a squashed $S^7$ when restricted to the sector that comprises singlets under the $Sp(1)\times Sp(2)$ isometry of the squashed sphere. Some of the properties of these modes, connected to the transition from the round $S^7$ to the squashed $S^7$, are analysed in detail. Special features of the Rarita-Schwinger operator, described in earlier work by Buchdahl, are explained and related to properties of the squashed $S^7$ operator spectrum obtained in previous work by the authors. We then discuss how the singlet modes give rise to supermultiplets in the left-squashed case, the phenomenon of de-Higgsing, and what happens to the AdS$_4$ fields in these supermultiplets under an orientation reversal (``skew-whiffing'') of the squashed $S^7$. Finally, we consider the possible choices of boundary conditions that appear for some of these fields in AdS$_4$ in the case of the right-squashed non-supersymmetric compactification, and how these choices may affect the stability of the gravity theory., Comment: 21 pages

Motivated by the results of Anastasiou et al., we consider the convolutional double copy for BRST and anti-BRST covariant formulations of gravitational and gauge theories in more detail. We give a general BRST and anti-BRST invariant formulation of linearised $\mathcal{N}=0$ supergravity using superspace methods and show how this may be obtained from the square of linearised Yang-Mills theories. We demonstrate this relation for the Schwarzschild black hole and the ten-dimensional black string solution as two concrete examples., Comment: 35 pages

The mode stability of the Kerr black hole in four dimensions was demonstrated by Whiting in 1989, by separating the Teukolsky equation that describes gravitational perturbations and then transforming the radial and angular equations in such a way that the problem can be reformulated as a wave equation in an auxiliary spacetime in which the proof of stability is greatly simplified, owing to the absence of an ergoregion. As a preliminary step towards extending these ideas to higher-dimensional black holes, we study the mode stability of the massless scalar wave equation in the five-dimensional black hole solutions of Einstein gravity and supergravity. We show how the wave equation can again be mapped into one in an auxiliary spacetime in which there is no ergoregion, allowing us to give a proof of the mode stability of the solutions of the scalar wave equation., Comment: 22 pages

Motivated by recent studies of long-range forces beween identical black holes, we extend these considerations by investigating the forces between two non-identical black holes. We focus on classes of theories where charged black holes can have extremal limits that are not BPS. These theories, which live in arbitrary spacetime dimension, comprise gravity coupled to $N$ 2-form field strengths and $(N-1)$ scalar fields. In the solutions we consider, each field strength carries an electric charge. The black hole solutions are governed by the $SL(N+1,R)$ Toda equations. In four dimensions the black-hole solutions in the $SL(3,R)$ example are equivalent to the "Kaluza-Klein dyons." We find that any pair of such extremal black holes that are not identical (up to overall scaling) repel one another. We also show that there can exist pairs of non-extremal, non-identical black holes which obey a zero-force condition. Finally, we find indications of similar results in the higher examples, such as $SL(4,R)$., Comment: 27 pages

A characteristic value formulation of the Weyl double copy leads to an asymptotic formulation. We find that the Weyl double copy holds asymptotically in cases where the full solution is algebraically general, using rotating STU supergravity black holes as an example. The asymptotic formulation provides clues regarding the relation between asymptotic symmetries that follows from the double copy. Using the C-metric as an example, we show that a previous interpretation of this gravity solution as a superrotation has a single copy analogue relating the appropriate Li\'enard-Wiechert potential to a large gauge transformation., Comment: 52 pages (27 for main body), one figure. v2 updated references

To perform realistic tests of theories of gravity, we need to be able to look beyond general relativity and evaluate the consistency of alternative theories with observational data from, especially, gravitational wave detections using, for example, an agnostic Bayesian approach. In this paper we further examine properties of one class of such viable, alternative theories, based on metrics arising from ungauged supergravity. In particular, we examine the massless, neutral, minimally coupled scalar wave equation in a general stationary, axisymmetric background metric such as that of a charged rotating black hole, when the scalar field is either time independent or in the low-frequency, near-zone limit, with a view to calculating the Love numbers of tidal perturbations, and of obtaining harmonic coordinates for the background metric. For a four-parameter family of charged asymptotically flat rotating black hole solutions of ungauged supergravity theory known as STU black holes, which includes Kaluza-Klein black holes and the Kerr-Sen black hole as special cases, we find that all time-independent solutions, and hence the harmonic coordinates of the metrics, are identical to those of the Kerr solution. In the low-frequency limit we find the scalar fields exhibit the same $SL(2,R)$ symmetry as holds in the case of the Kerr solution. We point out extensions of our results to a wider class of metrics, which includes solutions of Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton theory., Comment: 21 pages. Typos correct, text added

We present a construction of the most general BPS black holes of STU supergravity (${\cal N}=2$ supersymmetric $D=4$ supergravity coupled to three vector super-multiplets) with arbitrary asymptotic values of the scalar fields. These solutions are obtained by acting with a subset of of the global symmetry generators on STU BPS black holes with zero values of the asymptotic scalars, both in the U-duality and the heterotic frame. The solutions are parameterized by fourteen parameters: four electric and four magnetic charges, and the asymptotic values of the six scalar fields. We also present BPS black hole solutions of a consistently truncated STU supergravity, which are parameterized by two electric and two magnetic charges and two scalar fields. These latter solutions are significantly simplified, and are very suitable for further explicit studies. We also explore a conformal inversion symmetry of the Couch-Torrence type, which maps any member of the fourteen-parameter family of BPS black holes to another member of the family. Furthermore, these solutions are expected to be valuable in the studies of various swampland conjectures in the moduli space of string compactifications., Comment: V2. Updated reference. Minor changes to the concluding remarks and outlook section

Supersymmetric bosonic backgrounds governed by first-order BPS equations, can be realised in a much broader setting by relaxing the requirement of closure of the superalgebra beyond the level of quadratic fermion terms. The resulting pseudo-supersymmetric theories can be defined in arbitrary spacetime dimensions. We focus here on the ${\cal N}=1$ pseudo-supersymmetric extensions of the arbitrary-dimensional bosonic string action, which were constructed a few years ago. In this paper, we recast these in the language of generalised geometry. More precisely, we construct the action and the corresponding supersymmetry transformation rules in terms of O($D$)$\times$O($D$) covariant derivatives, and we discuss consistent truncations on manifolds with generalised $G$-structure. As explicit examples, we discuss Minkowski$\times G$ vacuum solutions and their corresponding pseudo-supersymmetry. We also briefly discuss squashed group manifold solutions, including an example with a Lorentzian signature metric on the group manifold $G$., Comment: 22 pages, 1 table

We establish the status of the Weyl double copy relation for radiative solutions of the vacuum Einstein equations. We show that all type N vacuum solutions, which describe the radiation region of isolated gravitational systems with appropriate fall-off for the matter fields, admit a degenerate Maxwell field that squares to give the Weyl tensor. The converse statement also holds, i.e. if there exists a degenerate Maxwell field on a curved background, then the background is type N. This relation defines a scalar that satisfies the wave equation on the background. We show that for non-twisting radiative solutions, the Maxwell field and the scalar also satisfy the Maxwell equation and the wave equation on Minkowski spacetime. Hence, non-twisting solutions have a straightforward double copy interpretation., Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett

The extremal Reissner-Nordstr\"om black hole admits a conformal inversion symmetry, in which the metric is mapped into itself under an inversion of the radial coordinate combined with a conformal rescaling. In the rotating generalisation, Couch and Torrence showed that the Kerr-Newman metric no longer exhibits a conformal inversion symmetry, but the radial equation arising in the separation of the massless Klein-Gordon equation admits a mode-dependent inversion symmetry, where the radius of inversion depends upon the energy and azimuthal angular momentum of the mode. It was more recently shown that the static 4-charge extremal black holes of STU supergravity admit a generalisation of the conformal inversion symmetry, in which the conformally-inverted metric is a member of the same 4-charge black hole family but with transformed charges. In this paper we study further generalisations of these inversion symmetries, within the general class of extremal STU supergravity black holes. For the rotating black holes, where again the massless Klein-Gordon equation is separable, we show that examples with four electric charges exhibit a generalisation of the Couch-Torrence symmetry of the radial equation. Now, as in the conformal inversion of the static specialisations, the inversion of the radial equation maps it to the radial equation for a rotating black hole with transformed electric charges. We also study the inversion transformations for the general case of extremal BPS STU black holes carrying eight charges (4 electric plus 4 magnetic), and argue that analogous generalisations of the inversion symmetries exist both for the static and the rotating cases., Comment: 32 pages

Motivated by the study of conserved Aretakis charges for a scalar field on the horizon of an extremal black hole, we construct the metrics for certain classes of four-dimensional and five-dimensional extremal rotating black holes in Gaussian null coordinates. We obtain these as expansions in powers of the radial coordinate, up to sufficient order to be able to compute the Aretakis charges. The metrics we consider are for 4-charge black holes in four-dimensional STU supergravity (including the Kerr-Newman black hole in the equal-charge case) and the general 3-charge black holes in five-dimensional STU supergravity. We also investigate the circumstances under which the Aretakis charges of an extremal black hole can be mapped by conformal inversion of the metric into Newman-Penrose charges at null infinity. We show that while this works for four-dimensional static black holes, a simple radial inversion fails in rotating cases because a necessary conformal symmetry of the massless scalar equation breaks down. We also discuss that a massless scalar field in dimensions higher than four does not have any conserved Newman-Penrose charge, even in a static asymptotically flat spacetime., Comment: 22 pages

We outline a proof of the stability of a massless neutral scalar field $\psi$ in the background of a wide class of four dimensional asymptotically flat rotating and ``electrically charged'' solutions of supergravity, and the low energy limit of string theory, known as STU metrics. Despite their complexity, we find it possible to circumvent the difficulties presented by the existence of ergo-regions and the related phenomenon of super-radiance in the original metrics by following a strategy due to Whiting, and passing to an auxiliary metric admitting an everywhere lightlike Killing field and constructing a scalar field $\Psi$ (related to a possible unstable mode $\psi$ by a non-local transformation) which satisfies the massless wave equation with respect to the auxiliary metric. By contrast with the case for $\psi$, the associated energy density of $\Psi$ is not only conserved but is also non-negative., Comment: 5 pages, minor corrections and clarifications. Title changed. Version to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett

Writing the metric of an asymptotically flat spacetime in Bondi coordinates provides an elegant way of formulating the Einstein equation as a characteristic value problem. In this setting, we find that a specific class of asymptotically flat spacetimes, including stationary solutions, contains a Maxwell gauge field as free data. Choosing this gauge field to correspond to the Dirac monopole, we derive the Taub-NUT solution in Bondi coordinates., Comment: 16 pages; few typos corrected

We consider the consequences of the dual gravitational charges for the phase space of radiating modes, and find that they imply a new soft NUT theorem. In particular, we argue that the existence of these new charges removes the need for imposing boundary conditions at spacelike infinity that would otherwise preclude the existence of NUT charges., Comment: 24 pages; few minor typos corrected

We study a free scalar field $\phi$ in a fixed curved background spacetime subject to a higher derivative field equation of the form $F(\Box)\phi =0$, where $F$ is a polynomial of the form $F(\Box)= \prod_i (\Box-m_i^2)$ and all masses $m_i$ are distinct and real. Using an auxiliary field method to simplify the calculations, we obtain expressions for the Belinfante-Rosenfeld symmetric energy-momentum tensor and compare it with the canonical energy-momentum tensor when the background is Minkowski spacetime. We also obtain the conserved symplectic current necessary for quantisation and briefly discuss the issue of negative energy versus negative norm and its relation to Reflection Positivity in Euclidean treatments. We study, without assuming spherical symmetry, the possible existence of finite energy static solutions of the scalar equations, in static or stationary background geometries. Subject to various assumptions on the potential, we establish non-existence results including a no-scalar-hair theorem for static black holes. We consider Pais-Uhlenbeck field theories in a cosmological de Sitter background, and show how the Hubble friction may eliminate what would otherwise be unstable behaviour when interactions are included., Comment: 41 pages

We supplement the recently found dual gravitational charges with dual charges for the whole BMS symmetry algebra. Furthermore, we extend the dual charges away from null infinity, defining subleading dual charges. These subleading dual charges complement the subleading BMS charges in the literature and together account for all the Newman-Penrose charges., Comment: 18 pages; few minor typos corrected

We show that there are a further infinite number of, previously unknown, supertranslation charges. These can be viewed as duals of the known BMS charges corresponding to supertranslations. In Newman-Penrose language, these new supertranslation charges roughly correspond to the imaginary part of the leading term in $\psi_2$. We find these charges by dualising the Barnich-Brandt asymptotic charges and argue that this prescription gives rise to new bona fide charges at null infinity., Comment: 17 pages

We derive the isometry irrep content of squashed seven-sphere compactifications of eleven-dimensional supergravity, i.e., the left-squashed ($LS^7$) with ${\mathcal N}=1$ and right-squashed ($RS^7$) with ${\mathcal N}=0$ supersymmetry, in a manner completely independent of the round sphere. Then we compare this result with the spectrum obtained by Higgsing the round sphere spectrum. This way we discover features of the spectra which makes it possible to argue that the only way the round spectrum can be related by a Higgs mechanism to the one of $LS^7$ is if the singletons are included in the round sphere spectrum. For this to work also in the $RS^7$ case it seems that the gravitino of the $LS^7$ spectrum must be replaced by a fermionic singleton present in the $RS^7$ spectrum., Comment: 24 pages including appendix with 12 figure, v2 minor typos corrected

We study extremal static dyonic black holes in four-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton theory, for general values of the constant $a$ in the exponential coupling $e^{a\phi}$ of the dilaton to the Maxwell kinetic term. Explicit solutions are known only for $a=0$, $a=1$ and $a=\sqrt3$, and for general $a$ when the electric and magnetic charges $Q$ and $P$ are equal. We obtain solutions as power series expansions around $Q=P$, in terms of a small parameter $\epsilon= a^{-1}\, \log(Q/P)$. Using these, and also solutions constructed numerically, we test a relation between the mass and the charges that had been conjectured long ago by Rasheed. We find that although the conjecture is not exactly correct it is in fact quite accurate for a wide range of the black hole parameters. We investigate some improved conjectures for the mass relation. We also study the circumstances under which entropy super-additivity, which is related to Hawking's area theorem, is violated. This extends beyond previous examples exhibited in the literature for the particular case of $a=\sqrt3$ dyonic black holes., Comment: 32 pages, 4 figures

In this paper we establish a relation between the non-linearly conserved Newman-Penrose charges and certain subleading terms in a large-$r$ expansion of the BMS charges in an asymptotically-flat spacetime. We define the subleading BMS charges by considering a $1/r$-expansion of the Barnich-Brandt prescription for defining asymptotic charges in an asymptotically-flat spacetime. At the leading order, i.e. $1/r^0$, one obtains the standard BMS charges, which would be integrable and conserved in the absence of a flux term at null infinity, corresponding to gravitational radiation, or Bondi news. At subleading orders, analogous terms in general provide obstructions to the integrability of the corresponding charges. Since the subleading terms are defined close to null infinity, but vanish actually at infinity, the analogous obstructions are not associated with genuine Bondi news. One may instead describe them as corresponding to "fake news." At order $r^{-3}$, we find that a set of integrable charges can be defined and that these are related to the ten non-linearly conserved Newman-Penrose charges., Comment: 34 pages;few minor typos corrected

The geometrodynamics of the four-dimensional Einstein and Einstein-Maxwell theories were first studied by Wheeler and Misner more than fifty years ago, by constructing solutions of the constraints on an initial spatial slice in a Hamiltonian formulation of the theories. More recently these considerations were extended to various four-dimensional theories with additional fields, encompassing cases that arise in supergravity and the low-energy limit of compactified string theory. In this paper we extend these considerations further, by constructing solutions of the initial value constraints in higher spacetime dimensions, for wide classes of theories that include supergravities and the low-energy limits of string and M-theory. We obtain time-symmetric initial data sets for multiple black hole spacetimes and also wormholes in higher dimensions., Comment: 41 pages

Many discussions in the literature of spacetimes with more than one Killing horizon note that some horizons have positive and some have negative surface gravities, but assign to all a positive temperature. However, the first law of thermodynamics then takes a non-standard form. We show that if one regards the Christodoulou and Ruffini formula for the total energy or enthalpy as defining the Gibbs surface, then the rules of Gibbsian thermodynamics imply that negative temperatures arise inevitably on inner horizons, as does the conventional form of the first law. We provide many new examples of this phenomenon, including black holes in STU supergravity. We also give a discussion of left and right temperatures and entropies, and show that both the left and right temperatures are non-negative. The left-hand sector contributes exactly half the total energy of the system, and the right-hand sector contributes the other half. Both the sectors satisfy conventional first laws and Smarr formulae. For spacetimes with a positive cosmological constant, the cosmological horizon is naturally assigned a negative Gibbsian temperature. We also explore entropy-product formulae and a novel entropy-inversion formula, and we use them to test whether the entropy is a super-additive function of the extensive variables. We find that super-additivity is typically satisfied, but we find a counterexample for dyonic Kaluza-Klein black holes., Comment: 69 pages. Added extended discussion of left-moving and right-moving thermodynamics. References added

The dimensional reduction of a generic theory on a curved internal space such as a sphere does not admit a consistent truncation to a finite set of fields that includes the Yang-Mills gauge bosons of the isometry group. In rare cases, for example the $S^7$ reduction of eleven-dimensional supergravity, such a consistent "Pauli reduction" does exist. In this paper we study this existence question in two examples of $S^2$ reductions of supergravities. We do this by making use of a relation between certain $S^2$ reductions and group manifold $S^3=SU(2)$ reductions of a theory in one dimension higher. By this means we establish the non-existence of a consistent $S^2$ Pauli reduction of five-dimensional minimal supergravity. We also show that a previously-discovered consistent Pauli reduction of six-dimensional Salam-Sezgin supergravity can be elegantly understood via a group-manifold reduction from seven dimensions., Comment: 20 pages

It was recently observed that Kerr-AdS metrics with negative mass describe smooth spacetimes that have a region with naked closed time-like curves, bounded by a velocity of light surface. Such spacetimes are sometimes known as time machines. In this paper we study the BPS limit of these metrics, and find that the mass and angular momenta become discretised. The completeness of the spacetime also requires that the time coordinate be periodic, with precisely the same period as that which arises for the global AdS in which the time machine spacetime is immersed. For the case of equal angular momenta in odd dimensions, we construct the Killing spinors explicitly, and show they are consistent with the global structure. Thus in examples where the solution can be embedded in a gauged supergravity theory, they will be supersymmetric. We also compare the global structure of the BPS AdS$_3$ time machine with the BTZ black hole, and show that the global structure allows to have two different supersymmetric limits., Comment: latex, 29 pages, minor typos corrected and references added

We employ the Noether procedure to derive a general formula for the radially conserved heat current in AdS planar black holes with certain transverse and traceless perturbations, for a general class of gravity theories. For Einstein gravity, the general higher-order Lovelock gravities and also a class of Horndeski gravities, we derive the boundary stress tensor and show that the resulting boundary heat current matches precisely the bulk Noether current., Comment: Latex, 27 pages, typos corrected, comments added, references added

We construct a relation between the Aretakis charge of any extreme black hole and the Newman-Penrose charge. This is achieved by constructing a conformal correspondence between extreme black holes and what we call weakly asymptotically flat space-times. Under this correspondence the Newman-Penrose charge of the weakly asymptotically flat space-time maps on to the Aretakis charge of the extreme black hole. Furthermore, we generalise the conformal isometry displayed by the extreme Reissner-Nordstr\"om solution to a novel conformal symmetry that acts within a class of static STU supergravity black holes., Comment: 25 pages

The equations of null geodesics in the STU family of rotating black hole solutions of supergravity theory, which may be considered as deformations of the vacuum Kerr metric, are completely integrable. We propose that they be used as a foil to test, for example, with what precision the gravitational field external to the black hole at the centre of our galaxy is given by the Kerr metric. By contrast with some metrics proposed in the literature, the STU metrics satisfy by construction the dominant and strong energy conditions. Our considerations may be extended to include the effects of a cosmological term. We show that these metrics permit a straightforward calculation of the properties of black hole shadows., Comment: 20 pages

A new branch of black hole solutions occurs along with the standard Schwarzschild branch in $n$-dimensional extensions of general relativity including terms quadratic in the Ricci tensor. The standard and new branches cross at a point determined by a static negative-eigenvalue eigenfunction of the Lichnerowicz operator, analogous to the Gross-Perry-Yaffe eigenfunction for the Schwarzschild solution in standard $n=4$ dimensional general relativity. This static eigenfunction has two r\^oles: both as a perturbation away from Schwarzschild along the new black-hole branch and also as a threshold unstable mode lying at the edge of a domain of Gregory-Laflamme-type instability of the Schwarzschild solution for small-radius black holes. A thermodynamic analogy with the Gubser and Mitra conjecture on the relation between quantum thermodynamic and classical dynamical instabilities leads to a suggestion that there may be a switch of stability properties between the old and new black-hole branches for small black holes with radii below the branch crossing point., Comment: 33 pages, 8 figures

In this paper, we consider two four-dimensional Horndeski-type gravity theories with scalar fields that give rise to solutions with momentum dissipation in the dual boundary theories. Firstly, we study Einstein-Maxwell theory with a Horndeski axion term and two additional free axions which are responsible for momentum dissipation. We construct static electrically charged AdS planar black hole solutions in this theory and calculate analytically the holographic DC conductivity of the dual field theory. We then generalize the results to include magnetic charge in the black hole solution. Secondly, we analyze Einstein-Maxwell theory with two Horndeski axions which are used for momentum dissipation. We obtain AdS planar black hole solutions in the theory and we calculate the holographic DC conductivity of the dual field theory. The theory has a critical point $\alpha + \gamma \Lambda = 0$, beyond which the kinetic terms of the Horndeski axions become ghost-like. The conductivity as a function of temperature behaves qualitatively like that of a conductor below the critical point, becoming semiconductor-like at the critical point. Beyond the critical point, the ghost-like nature of the Horndeski fields is associated with the onset of unphysical singular or negative conductivities. Some further generalisations of the above theories are considered also., Comment: 23 pages, 1 figure. Typos corrected and reference added

For appropriate choices of the coupling constants, the equations of motion of Lovelock gravities up to order n in the Riemann tensor can be factorized such that the theories admits a single (A)dS vacuum. In this paper we construct two classes of exact rotating metrics in such critical Lovelock gravities of order n in d=2n+1 dimensions. In one class, the n angular momenta in the n orthogonal spatial 2-planes are equal, and hence the metric is of cohomogeneity one. We construct these metrics in a Kerr-Schild form, but they can then be recast in terms of Boyer-Lindquist coordinates. The other class involves metrics with only a single non-vanishing angular momentum. Again we construct them in a Kerr-Schild form, but in this case it does not seem to be possible to recast them in Boyer-Lindquist form. Both classes of solutions have naked curvature singularities, arising because of the over rotation of the configurations., Comment: 13 pages

We consider a gravitational theory with two Maxwell fields, a dilatonic scalar and spatially dependent axions. Black brane solutions to this theory are Lifshitz-like and violate hyperscaling. Working with electrically charged solutions, we calculate analytically the holographic DC conductivities when both gauge fields are allowed to fluctuate. We discuss some of the subtleties associated with relating the horizon to the boundary data, focusing on the role of Lifshitz asymptotics and the presence of multiple gauge fields. The axionic scalars lead to momentum dissipation in the dual holographic theory. Finally, we examine the behavior of the DC conductivities as a function of temperature, and comment on the cases in which one can obtain a linear resistivity., Comment: 32 pages, 3 figures. Figures and references added. Discussion modified

We study closed photon orbits in spherically-symmetric static solutions of supergravity theories, a Horndeski theory, and a theory of quintessence. These orbits lie in what we shall call a photon sphere (anti-photon sphere) if the orbit is unstable (stable). We show that in all the asymptotically flat solutions we examine that admit a regular event horizon, and whose energy-momentum tensor satisfies the strong energy condition, there is one and only one photon sphere outside the event horizon. We give an example of a Horndeski theory black hole (whose energy-momentum tensor violates the strong energy condition) whose metric admits both a photon sphere and an anti-photon sphere. The uniqueness and non-existence also holds for asymptotically anti-de Sitter solutions in gauged supergravity. The latter also exhibit the projective symmetry that was first discovered for the Schwarzschild-de Sitter metrics: the unparameterised null geodesics are the same as when the cosmological or gauge coupling constant vanishes. We also study the closely related problem of accretion flows by perfect fluids in these metrics. For a radiation fluid, Bondi's sonic horizon coincides with the photon sphere. For a general polytropic equation of state this is not the case. Finally we exhibit counterexamples to a conjecture of Hod's., Comment: References added, higher-dimensional inequalities added. 45 pages, 3 figures

The consistency of the embedding of four-dimensional SO(8) gauged N=8 supergravity into eleven-dimensional supergravity, where the internal directions are compactified on a seven-sphere, was established by de Wit and Nicolai in the 1980s. The reduction ansatz for the eleven-dimensional metric, and for some of the components of the 4-form field strength, were found at that time, and recently the complete expression for the 4-form reduction has been obtained. The expressions are quite complicated, and in many practical applications it would be sufficient to know the ansatz for a subset of the four-dimensional fields. In this paper, we obtain explicit expressions for the embedding of the truncation of the full N=8 gauged theory to the N=2 gauged STU supergravity. This corresponds, in the bosonic sector, to a consistent truncation of the N=8 supergravity fields to those that are singlets under the U(1)^4 Cartan subalgebra of SO(8). This truncation to STU supergravity, which comprises N=2 supergravity coupled to three vector multiplets, suffices, for example, for lifting the general 8-charge asymptotically-AdS rotating black holes to eleven dimensions. We also give two distinct further truncations to N=2 supergravities coupled to single vector multiplets., Comment: 24 pages

We consider asymptotically-AdS $n$-dimensional black brane solutions in a theory of gravity coupled to a set of $N$ $p$-form field strengths, in which the field strengths carry magnetic charges. For appropriately chosen charges, the metrics are isotropic in the $(n-2)$ transverse directions. However, in general the field strength configurations break the full Euclidean symmetry of the $(n-2)$-dimensional transverse space. We then study the linearised equation for transverse traceless metric perturbations in these backgrounds, and by employing the Kubo formula we obtain expressions for $\eta/S$, the ratio of shear viscosity to entropy density. We find that the KSS bound on the ratio $\eta/S$ is generally violated in these solutions. We also extend the discussion by including also a dilatonic scalar field in the theory, leading to solutions that are asymptotically Lifshitz with hyperscaling violation., Comment: References added. 21 pages

We extend an earlier investigation of the thermodynamics of static black holes in an Einstein-Horndeski theory of gravity coupled to a scalar field, by including now an elec- tromagnetic field as well. By studying the two-parameter families of charged static black holes, we obtain much more powerful constraints on the thermodynamics since, unlike in the uncharged one-parameter case, now the right-hand side of the first law is not automatically integrable. In fact, this allows us to demonstrate that there must be an additional contribution in the first law, over and above the usual terms expected for charged black holes. The origin of the extra contribution can be attributed to the behaviour of the scalar field on the horizon of the black hole. We carry out the calculations in four dimensions and also in general dimensions. We also derive the ratio of viscosity to entropy for the dual boundary field theory, showing that the usual viscosity bound for isotropic solutions can be violated, with the ratio depending on the mass and charge., Comment: Latex, 30 pages, typos corrected and references added

We prove an old conjecture by Duff, Nilsson, Pope and Warner asserting that the NS-NS sector of supergravity (and more general the bosonic string) allows for a consistent Pauli reduction on any d-dimensional group manifold G, keeping the full set of gauge bosons of the G x G isometry group of the bi-invariant metric on G. The main tool of the construction is a particular generalised Scherk-Schwarz reduction ansatz in double field theory which we explicitly construct in terms of the group's Killing vectors. Examples include the consistent reduction from ten dimensions on $S^3\times S^3$ and on similar product spaces. The construction is another example of globally geometric non-toroidal compactifications inducing non-geometric fluxes., Comment: 16 pages

Horndeski gravities are theories of gravity coupled to a scalar field, in which the action contains an additional non-minimal quadratic coupling of the scalar, through its first derivative, to the Einstein tensor or the analogous higher-derivative tensors coming from the variation of Gauss-Bonnet or Lovelock terms. In this paper we study the thermodynamics of the static black hole solutions in $n$ dimensions, in the simplest case of a Horndeski coupling to the Einstein tensor. We apply the Wald formalism to calculate the entropy of the black holes, and show that there is an additional contribution over and above those that come from the standard Wald entropy formula. The extra contribution can be attributed to unusual features in the behaviour of the scalar field. We also show that a conventional regularisation to calculate the Euclidean action leads to an expression for the entropy that disagrees with the Wald results. This seems likely to be due to ambiguities in the subtraction procedure. We also calculate the viscosity in the dual CFT, and show that the viscosity/entropy ratio can violate the $\eta/S\ge 1/(4\pi)$ bound for appropriate choices of the parameters., Comment: 30 pages, no figure, minor revisions

Just as string T-duality originates from transforming field equations into Bianchi identities on the string worldsheet, so it has been suggested that M-theory U-dualities originate from transforming field equations into Bianchi identities on the membrane worldvolume. However, this encounters a problem unless the target space has dimension $D = p + 1$. We identify the problem to be the nonintegrability of the U-duality transformation assigned to the pull-back map. Just as a double geometry renders manifest the $O(D,D)$ string T-duality, here we show in the case of the M2-brane in $D = 3$ that a generalised geometry renders manifest the $SL(3) \times SL(2)$ U-duality. In the case of M2-brane in $D=4$, with and without extra target space coordinates, we show that only the ${\rm GL}(4,R)\ltimes R^4$ subgroup of the expected $SL(5,R)$ U-duality symmetry is realised., Comment: 26 pages

Extensions of Einstein gravity with quadratic curvature terms in the action arise in most effective theories of quantised gravity, including string theory. This article explores the set of static, spherically symmetric and asymptotically flat solutions of this class of theories. An important element in the analysis is the careful treatment of a Lichnerowicz-type `no-hair' theorem. From a Frobenius analysis of the asymptotic small-radius behaviour, the solution space is found to split into three asymptotic families, one of which contains the classic Schwarzschild solution. These three families are carefully analysed to determine the corresponding numbers of free parameters in each. One solution family is capable of arising from coupling to a distributional shell of matter near the origin; this family can then match on to an asymptotically flat solution at spatial infinity without encountering a horizon. Another family, with horizons, contains the Schwarzschild solution but includes also non-Schwarzschild black holes. The third family of solutions obtained from the Frobenius analysis is nonsingular and corresponds to `vacuum' solutions. In addition to the three families identified from near-origin behaviour, there are solutions that may be identified as `wormholes', which can match symmetrically on to another sheet of spacetime at finite radius., Comment: 57 pages, 6 figures; version appearing in journal; minor corrections and clarifications to v1

We present three families of exact, cohomogeneity-one Einstein metrics in $(2n+2)$ dimensions, which are generalizations of the Stenzel construction of Ricci-flat metrics to those with a positive cosmological constant. The first family of solutions are Fubini-Study metrics on the complex projective spaces $CP^{n+1}$, written in a Stenzel form, whose principal orbits are the Stiefel manifolds $V_2(R ^{n+2})=SO(n+2)/SO(n)$ divided by $Z_2$. The second family are also Einstein-K\"ahler metrics, now on the Grassmannian manifolds $G_2(R^{n+3})=SO(n+3)/((SO(n+1)\times SO(2))$, whose principal orbits are the Stiefel manifolds $V_2(R^{n+2})$ (with no $Z_2$ factoring in this case). The third family are Einstein metrics on the product manifolds $S^{n+1}\times S^{n+1}$, and are K\"ahler only for $n=1$. Some of these metrics are believed to play a role in studies of consistent string theory compactifications and in the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence. We also elaborate on the geometric approach to quantum mechanics based on the K\"ahler geometry of Fubini-Study metrics on $CP^{n+1}$, and we apply the formalism to study the quantum entanglement of qubits., Comment: 31 pages

We study the shear viscosity to entropy ratio $\eta/S$ in the boundary field theories dual to black hole backgrounds in theories of gravity coupled to a scalar field, and generalisations including a Maxwell field and non-minimal scalar couplings. Motivated by the observation in simple examples that the saturation of the $\eta/S\ge 1/(4\pi)$ bound is correlated with the existence of a generalised Smarr relation for the planar black-hole solutions, we investigate this in detail for the general black-hole solutions in these theories, focusing especially on the cases where the scalar field plays a non-trivial role and gives rise to an additional parameter in the space of solutions. We find that a generalised Smarr relation holds in all cases, and in fact it can be viewed as the bulk gravity dual of the statement of the saturation of the viscosity to entropy bound. We obtain the generalised Smarr relation, whose existence depends upon a scaling symmetry of the planar black-hole solutions, by two different but related methods, one based on integrating the first law of thermodynamics, and the other based on the construction of a conserved Noether charge., Comment: Latex, 36 pages, references added, typos corrected, to appear in PRD

We consider a certain ${\cal N}=1$ supersymmetric, $SO(3)\times SO(3)$ invariant, subsector of the $\omega$-deformed family of $SO(8)$-gauged ${\cal N}=8$ four-dimensional supergravities. The theory contains two scalar fields and two pseudoscalar fields. We look for stationary points of the scalar potential, corresponding to AdS vacua in the theory. One of these, which breaks all supersymmetries but is nonetheless stable, is new. It exists only when $\omega\ne 0$. We construct supersymmetric domain wall solutions in the truncated theory, and we give a detailed analysis of their holographic dual interpretations using the AdS/CFT correspondence. Domain walls where the pseudoscalars vanish were studied previously, but those with non-vanishing pseudoscalars, which we analyse numerically, are new. The pseudoscalars are associated with supersymmetric mass deformations in the CFT duals. When $\omega$ is zero, the solutions can be lifted to M-theory, where they approach the Coulomb-branch flows of dielectric M5-branes wrapped on $S^3$ in the deep IR., Comment: 40 pages, 10 figures

Extensions of Einstein gravity with higher-order derivative terms arise in string theory and other effective theories, as well as being of interest in their own right. In this paper we study static black-hole solutions in the example of Einstein gravity with additional quadratic curvature terms. A Lichnerowicz-type theorem simplifies the analysis by establishing that they must have vanishing Ricci scalar curvature. By numerical methods we then demonstrate the existence of further black-hole solutions over and above the Schwarzschild solution. We discuss some of their thermodynamic properties, and show that they obey the first law of thermodynamics., Comment: Typos corrected, discussion added, figure changed. 4 pages, 6 figures

Gauged N=8 supergravity in four dimensions is now known to admit a deformation characterized by a real parameter $\omega$ lying in the interval $0\le\omega\le \pi/8$. We analyse the fluctuations about its anti-de Sitter vacuum, and show that the full N=8 supersymmetry can be maintained by the boundary conditions only for $\omega=0$. For non-vanishing $\omega$, and requiring that there be no propagating spin s>1 fields on the boundary, we show that N=3 is the maximum degree of supersymmetry that can be preserved by the boundary conditions. We then construct in detail the consistent truncation of the N=8 theory to give $\omega$-deformed SO(6) gauged N=6 supergravity, again with $\omega$ in the range $0\le\omega\le \pi/8$. We show that this theory admits fully N=6 supersymmetry-preserving boundary conditions not only for $\omega=0$, but also for $\omega=\pi/8$. These two theories are related by a U(1) electric-magnetic duality. We observe that the only three-point functions that depend on $\omega$ involve the coupling of an SO(6) gauge field with the U(1) gauge field and a scalar or pseudo-scalar field. We compute these correlation functions and compare them with those of the undeformed N=6 theory. We find that the correlation functions in the $\omega=\pi/8$ theory holographically correspond to amplitudes in the U(N)_k x U(N)_{-k} ABJM model in which the U(1) Noether current is replaced by a dynamical U(1) gauge field. We also show that the $\omega$-deformed N=6 gauged supergravities can be obtained via consistent reductions from the eleven-dimensional or ten-dimensional type IIA supergravities., Comment: 38 pages, one figure

We construct black ring solutions in five-dimensional $U(1)^3$ supergravity which carry three dipole charges, three electric charges and one angular momentum parameter. These solutions are written in a form that is sufficiently compact that their global and thermodynamic properties can be studied explicitly. In particular, we find that the Smarr formula is obeyed regardless of whether or not conical singularities are present, whereas the first law of thermodynamics holds only in the absence of conical singularities. We also present black ring solutions with three background magnetic fields., Comment: 25 pages, no figures

We present explicit solutions of the time-symmetric initial value constraints, expressed in terms of freely specfiable harmonic functions for examples of supergravity theories, which emerge as effective theories of compactified string theory. These results are a prequisite for the study of the time-evolution of topologically non-trivial initial data for supergravity theories, thus generalising the "Geometrodynamics" program of Einstein-Maxwell theory to that of supergravity theories. Specifically, we focus on examples of multiple electric Maxwell and scalar fields, and analyse the initial data problem for the general Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton theory both with one and two Maxwell fields, and the STU model. The solutions are given in terms of up to eight arbitrary harmonic functions in the STU model. As a by-product, in order compare our results with known static solutions, the metric in isotropic coordinates and all the sources of the non-extremal black holes are expressed entirely in terms of harmonic functions. We also comment on generalizations to time-nonsymmetric initial data and their relation to cosmological solutions of gauged so-called fake supergravities with positive cosmological constant., Comment: 31 pages, typos corrected

We study non-supersymmetric truncations of $\omega$-deformed ${\cal N}=8$ gauged supergravity that retain a $U(1)$ gauge field and three scalars, of which two are neutral and one charged. We construct dyonic domain-wall and black hole solutions with AdS$_4$ boundary conditions when only one (neutral) scalar is non-vanishing, and examine their behavior as the magnetic field and temperature of the system are varied. In the infrared the domain-wall solutions approach either dyonic AdS$_2 \times \mathbb{R}^2$ or else Lifshitz-like, hyperscaling violating geometries. The scaling exponents of the latter are $z=3/2$ and $\theta = -2$, and are independent of the $\omega$-deformation. New $\omega$-dependent AdS$_4$ vacua are also identified. We find a rich structure for the magnetization of the system, including a line of metamagnetic first-order phase transitions when the magnetic field lies in a particular range. Such transitions arise generically in the $\omega$-deformed theories. Finally, we study the onset of a superfluid phase by allowing a fluctuation of the charged scalar field to condense, spontaneously breaking the abelian gauge symmetry. The mechanism by which the superconducting instability ceases to exist for strong magnetic fields is different depending on whether the field is positive or negative. Finally, such instabilities are expected to compete with spatially modulated phases., Comment: 43 pages, 11 figures. Discussion of counterterms extended, references added

We present a construction employing a type IIA supergravity and 3-form flux background together with an NS5-brane that localises massless gravity near the 5-brane worldvolume. The nonsingular underlying type IIA solution is a lift to 10D of the vacuum solution of the 6D Salam-Sezgin model and has a hyperbolic ${\cal H}^{(2,2)}\times S^1$ structure in the lifting dimensions. A fully back-reacted solution including the NS5-brane is constructed by recognising the 10D Salam-Sezgin vacuum solution as a "brane resolved through transgression." The background hyperbolic structure plays a key r\^ole in generating a mass gap in the spectrum of the transverse-space wave operator, which gives rise to the localisation of gravity on the 6D NS5-brane worldvolume, or, equally, in a further compactification to 4D. Also key to the successful localisation of gravity is the specific form of the corresponding transverse wavefunction Schr\"odinger problem, which asymptotically involves a $V=-1/(4\rho^2)$ potential, where $\rho$ is the transverse-space radius, and for which the NS5-brane source gives rise to a specific choice of self-adjoint extension for the transverse wave operator. The corresponding boundary condition as $\rho\to0$ ensures the masslessness of gravity in the effective braneworld theory. Above the mass gap, there is a continuum of massive states which give rise to small corrections to Newton's law., Comment: 32 pages, 2 figures; misprints corrected & some clarification added