Anti-de Sitter Black Hole Thermodynamics in Higher Derivative Gravity and New Confining-Deconfining Phases in dual CFT

TL;DR

This paper explores how higher derivative gravity affects black hole thermodynamics in AdS space and reveals new confining-deconfining phase transitions in the dual CFT, influenced by the critical N parameter.

Contribution

It introduces the impact of higher derivative terms on AdS black hole thermodynamics and uncovers a N-dependent phase transition structure in the dual gauge theory.

Findings

Higher derivative gravity alters Hawking-Page transition regimes.

A critical N value determines the switch between confining and deconfining phases.

New phase transition behavior emerges due to higher derivative effects.

Abstract

The thermodynamics of d5 AdS BHs with positive, negative or zero curvature spatial section in higher derivative (HD) gravity is described. HD contribution to free energy may change its sign which leads to more complicated regime for Hawking-Page phase transitions. Some variant of d5 HD gravity is dual to ${\cal N}=2$ $Sp(N)$ SCFT up to the next-to-leading order in large $N$. Then, according to Witten interpretation the stable AdS BH phase corresponds to deconfinement while global AdS phase corresponds to confinement. Unlike to Einstein gravity in HD theory the critical $N$ appears. It may influence the phase transition structure. In particulary, what was confining phase above the critical value becomes the deconfining phase below it and vice-versa.