Search

Two-dimensional conformal field theories with extended W-symmetry algebras have dual descriptions in terms of weakly coupled higher spin gravity in AdS3 at large central charge. Observables that can be computed and compared in the two descriptions include Rényi and entanglement entropies, and correlation functions of local operators. We develop techniques for computing these, in a manner that sheds light on when and why one can expect agreement between such quantities on each side of the duality. We set up the computation of excited state Rényi entropies in the bulk in terms of Chern-Simons connections, and show how this directly parallels the CFT computation of correlation functions. More generally, we consider the vacuum conformal block for general operators with Δ ∼ c. When two of the operators obey Δc≪1, we show by explicit computation that the vacuum conformal block is computed by a bulk Wilson line probing an asymptotically AdS3 background with higher spin fields excited, the latter emerging as the effective bulk description of the excited state produced by the heavy operators. Among other things, this puts a previous proposal for computing higher spin entanglement entropy via Wilson lines on firmer footing, and clarifies its relation to CFT. We also study the corresponding computation in Toda theory and find that this provides yet another independent way to arrive at the same result., Journal of High Energy Physics, 2015 (7), ISSN:1126-6708, ISSN:1029-8479

We systematically construct the geometries dual to the 1+1 dimensional (0, 4) conformal field theories that arise in the low-energy description of wrapped M5-branes in S1 × CY3 compactifications of M-theory. This includes a large number of multicentered black hole bound states asymptotic to AdS3 × S2. In addition, we find many geometries that develop multiple, mutually decoupled AdS3 × S2 throats. We argue there is a useful one to one correspondence between the connected components of the space of solutions and particular limits of type IIA attractor flow trees. We point out that there is a thermodynamic instability of small supersymmetric BTZ black holes to localization on the S2, a supersymmetric and exactly solvable analog of the well known AdS-Schwarzschild localization instability, and identify this with the "Entropy Enigma" in four dimensions. We discuss the phase transition this suggests, and initiate the CFT interpretation of these results., Physics