Near-Extremal Spherically Symmetric Black Holes in an Arbitrary-Dimensional Spacetime

TL;DR

This paper extends the study of near-extremal thermodynamics from 4-dimensional black holes to arbitrary dimensions, revealing a duality with Jackiw-Teitelboim theory and showing that back-reaction prevents black holes from reaching extremality.

Contribution

It generalizes the near-extremal analysis to higher dimensions and uncovers a duality with Jackiw-Teitelboim theory, highlighting the effects of back-reaction on extremality.

Findings

Duality between near-extremal black holes and Jackiw-Teitelboim theory

Back-reaction effects prevent black holes from reaching extremality

Extension of thermodynamic analysis to arbitrary dimensions

Abstract

In a recent paper (hep-th/0111091), the near-extremal thermodynamics of a 4-dimensional Reissner-Nordstrom black hole had been considered. In the current letter, we extend this prior treatment to the more general case of a spherically symmetric, charged black hole of arbitrary dimensionality. After summarizing the earlier work, we demonstrate a duality that exists between the near-extremal sector of spherically symmetric black holes and Jackiw-Teitelboim theory. On the basis of this correspondence, we argue that back-reaction effects prohibit any of these ``RN-like'' black holes from reaching extremality and, moreover, from coming arbitrarily close to an extremal state.