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Essentials of blackfold dynamics

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Abstract

We develop and significantly generalize the effective worldvolume theory for higher-dimensional black holes recently proposed by the authors. The theory, which regards the black hole as a black brane curved into a submanifold of a background spacetime — a blackfold—, can be formulated in terms of an effective fluid that lives on a dynamical worldvolume. Thus the blackfold equations split into intrinsic (fluid-dynamical) equations, and extrinsic (generalized geodesic embedding) equations. The intrinsic equations can be easily solved for equilibrium configurations, thus providing an efficient formalism for the approximate construction of novel stationary black holes. Furthermore, it is possible to study time evolution. In particular, the long-wavelength component of the Gregory-Laflamme instability of black branes is obtained as a sound-mode instability of the effective fluid. We also discuss action principles, connections to black hole thermodynamics, and other consequences and possible extensions of the approach. Finally, we outline how the fluid/AdS-gravity correspondence is related to this formalism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain

    Roberto Emparan

  2. Departament de Física Fonamental, Universitat de Barcelona, Marti i Franquès 1, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Roberto Emparan

  3. The Niels Bohr Institute, Blegdamsvej 17, 2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

    Troels Harmark & Niels A. Obers

  4. NORDITA, Roslagstullsbacken 23, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    Troels Harmark

  5. Centre de Physique Théorique, École Polytechnique, 91128, Palaiseau, France

    Vasilis Niarchose

  6. Unité mixte de Recherche 7644, CNRS, Palaiseau, France

    Niels A. Obers

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  1. Roberto Emparan
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  2. Troels Harmark
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  3. Vasilis Niarchose
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  4. Niels A. Obers
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Correspondence to Vasilis Niarchose.

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Emparan, R., Harmark, T., Niarchose, V. et al. Essentials of blackfold dynamics. J. High Energ. Phys. 2010, 63 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP03(2010)063

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