Probing black holes in non-perturbative gauge theory

TL;DR

This paper investigates black hole properties using a non-perturbative gauge theory approach, revealing how the horizon and entropy emerge dynamically from quantum mechanics.

Contribution

It introduces a mean-field method to analyze black hole backgrounds in strongly-coupled quantum mechanics, connecting gauge theory results with supergravity predictions.

Findings

Distribution of W boson masses shows a separation between light and heavy modes

Effective potential matches supergravity expectations after coordinate change

Black hole horizon and entropy emerge dynamically from quantum mechanics

Abstract

We use a 0-brane to probe a ten-dimensional near-extremal black hole with N units of 0-brane charge. We work directly in the dual strongly-coupled quantum mechanics, using mean-field methods to describe the black hole background non-perturbatively. We obtain the distribution of W boson masses, and find a clear separation between light and heavy degrees of freedom. To localize the probe we introduce a resolving time and integrate out the heavy modes. After a non-trivial change of coordinates, the effective potential for the probe agrees with supergravity expectations. We compute the entropy of the probe, and find that the stretched horizon of the black hole arises dynamically in the quantum mechanics, as thermal restoration of unbroken U(N+1) gauge symmetry. Our analysis of the quantum mechanics predicts a correct relation between the horizon radius and entropy of a black hole.