Avinash Raju

A Grassmann path from AdS3 to flat space

A bstractWe show that interpreting the inverse AdS3 radius 1/l as a Grassmann variable results in a formal map from gravity in AdS3 to gravity in flat space. The underlying reason for this is the fact that ISO(2, 1) is the Inonu-Wigner contraction of SO(2, 2). We show how this works for the Chern-Simons actions, demonstrate how the general (Banados) solution in AdS3 maps to the general flat space solution, and how the Killing vectors, charges and the Virasoro algebra in the Brown-Henneaux case map to the corresponding quantities in the BMS3 case. Our results straightforwardly generalize to the higher spin case: the recently constructed flat space higher spin theories emerge automatically in this approach from their AdS counterparts. We conclude with a discussion of singularity resolution in the BMS gauge as an application.

ϵ-expansion in the Gross-Neveu

A bstractWe use the recently developed CFT techniques of Rychkov and Tan to compute anomalous dimensions in the O(N ) Gross-Neveu model in d = 2 + ϵ dimensions. To do this, we extend the “cowpie contraction” algorithm of arXiv:1506.06616 to theories with fermions. Our results match perfectly with Feynman diagram computations.

Dynamical boundary for anti–de Sitter space

We argue that a natural boundary condition for gravity in asymptotically AdS spaces is to hold the {\em renormalized} boundary stress tensor density fixed, instead of the boundary metric. This leads to a well-defined variational problem, as well as new counter-terms and a finite on-shell action. We elaborate this in various (even and odd) dimensions in the language of holographic renormalization. Even though the {\em form} of the new renormalized action is distinct from the standard one, once the cut-off is taken to infinity, their {\em values} on classical solutions coincide when the trace anomaly vanishes. For AdS

Higher spin cosmology

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An alternative path integral for quantum gravity

, we compute the ADM form of this renormalized action and show in detail how the correct thermodynamics of Kerr-AdS black holes emerge. We comment on the possibility of a consistent quantization with our boundary conditions when the boundary is dynamical, and make a connection to the results of Compere and Marolf. The difference between our approach and microcanonical-like ensembles in standard AdS/CFT is emphasized.

A note on D1-D5 entropy and geometric quantization

We construct cosmological solutions of higher spin gravity in 2 + 1 dimensional de Sitter space. We show that a consistent thermodynamics can be obtained for their horizons by demanding appropriate holonomy conditions. This is equivalent to demanding the integrability of the Euclidean boundary conformal field theory partition function, and it reduces to Gibbons-Hawking thermodynamics in the spin-2 case. By using the prescription of Maldacena, we relate the thermodynamics of these solutions to those of higher spin black holes in AdS(3).

Gauging Away a Big Bang

A bstractWe define a (semi-classical) path integral for gravity with Neumann boundary conditions in D dimensions, and show how to relate this new partition function to the usual picture of Euclidean quantum gravity. We also write down the action in ADM Hamiltonian formulation and use it to reproduce the entropy of black holes and cosmological horizons. A comparison between the (background-subtracted) covariant and Hamiltonian ways of semi-classically evaluating this path integral in flat space reproduces the generalized Smarr formula and the first law. This “Neumann ensemble” perspective on gravitational thermodynamics is parallel to the canonical (Dirichlet) ensemble of Gibbons-Hawking and the microcanonical approach of Brown-York.

Contractions from grading

A bstractWe quantize the space of 2-charge fuzzballs in IIB supergravity on K3. The resulting entropy precisely matches the D1-D5 black hole entropy, including a specific numerical coefficient. A partial match (ie., a smaller coefficient) was found by Rychkov a decade ago using the Lunin-Mathur subclass of solutions — we use a simple observation to generalize his approach to the full moduli space of K3 fuzzballs, filling a small gap in the literature.

A Neumann boundary term for gravity

We argue that in the tensionless phase of string theory where the stringy gauge symmetries are unbroken, (at least some) cosmological singularities can be understood as gauge artefacts. We present two conceptually related, but distinct, pieces of evidence: one relying on spacetime and the other on worldsheet.

3D gravity, Chern–Simons and higher spins: A mini introduction

We note that large classes of contractions of algebras that arise in physics can be understood purely algebraically, via identifying appropriate