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Dilaton gravities in two dimensions can be formulated as particular Poisson sigma models. Target space diffeomorphisms map different models to each other and establish a one-to-one correspondence between their classical solutions. We obtain a general form of such diffeomorphisms in Lorentzian and Euclidean signatures and use them to extend known holographic results, including the Schwarzian action on the asymptotic boundary, from JT to a large class of dilaton gravity models., 53 pp, 4 figs; v2: 3 refs added, discussion section extended

We argue that the celestial conformal field theory exhibits patterns of a logarithmic conformal field theory. We uncover a Jordan block structure involving the celestial stress tensor and its logarithmic partner, a composite operator built from the stress tensor and the Liouville field. Using a limiting process whose parameter corresponds to the infrared cut-off of gravity, we perform some basic consistency checks, in particular, the calculation of two-point correlators, which reveals the expected logarithmic behavior. We comment on the vanishing value of the central charge in the celestial conformal field theory and explain how the logarithmic partner is relevant to make the theory well-behaved., Comment: 7 pages

We introduce a family of 2D dilaton gravity models with state-dependent constant curvature so that dS$_2$ emerges as an excitation of AdS$_2$. Curiously, the strong coupling region corresponds to the asymptotic region geometrically. Apart from these key differences, many features resemble the Almheiri--Polchinski model. We discuss perturbative and non-perturbative thermodynamical stability, bubble nucleation through matter shockwaves, and semiclassical backreaction effects. In some of these models, we find that low temperatures are dominated by AdS$_2$ but high temperatures are dominated by dS$_2$, concurrent with a recent proposal by Susskind., Comment: 40 pages plus appendices, v2: added 2 refs and extended discussion in sec 6, v3: added ref and a comment in sec 4

We reorganize the derivative expansion of general (power-counting non-renormalizable) 2d dilaton gravity such that the mass function is integrable. As an example, we consider a three-parameter family of models and provide conditions on the parameters such that the ground state is either Minkowski, Rindler, or (A)dS., 13pp, proceedings contribution to MATRIX Event "2D Supersymmetric Theories and Related Topics"

We perturbatively study marginally relevant quenched disorder in AdS$_3$/CFT$_2$ to second order in the disorder strength. Using the Chern-Simons formulation of AdS$_3$ gravity for the Poincaré patch, we introduce disorder via the chemical potentials. We discuss the bulk and boundary properties resulting from the disorder averaged metric. The disorder generates a small mass and angular momentum. In the bulk and the boundary, we find unphysical features due to the disorder average. Motivated by these features, we propose a Poincaré-Lindstedt-inspired resummation method. We discuss how this method enables us to remove all of the unphysical features., 29 pages, v2: citations added, v3/v4: added further discussion and references

We propose that 3d black holes are an ensemble of tensionless null string states. These microstates typically have non-zero winding. We evaluate their partition function in the limit of large excitation numbers and show that their combinatorics reproduces the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy and its semiclassical logarithmic corrections., Comment: 24pp; v2: considerably extended version with details and text added but otherwise same content

Using a uniformization map we determine the holographic entanglement entropy for states of a Warped Conformal Field Theory dual to a generic vacuum metric in AdS$_3$ gravity with Comp\`ere--Song--Strominger boundary conditions. We point out how that expression could lead to inequalities that can be interpreted as quantum energy conditions for Warped Conformal Field Theories., Comment: 5 pages

We provide the first steps towards a flat space holographic correspondence in two bulk spacetime dimensions. The gravity side is described by a conformally transformed version of the matterless Callan-Giddings-Harvey-Strominger model. The field theory side follows from the complex Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model in the limit of large specific heat and vanishing compressibility. We derive the boundary action analogous to the Schwarzian as the key link between gravity and field theory sides and show that it coincides with a geometric action discovered recently by one of us, see 1908.08089., Comment: 8pp, v2: added ref

The quantum null energy condition (QNEC) is a new local energy condition that a general quantum field theory (QFT) is believed to satisfy, relating the classical null energy condition (NEC) to the second functional derivative of the entanglement entropy in the corresponding null direction. We present the first series of explicit computations of QNEC in a strongly coupled QFT, using holography. We consider the vacuum, thermal equilibrium, a homogeneous far-from-equilibrium quench as well as a colliding system that violates NEC. For the vacuum and thermal phase, QNEC is always weaker than NEC. While for the homogeneous quench QNEC is satisfied with a finite gap, we find the interesting result that the colliding system can saturate QNEC, depending on the null direction., United States. Department of Energy (Contract DE-SC0011090)

We consider different sets of AdS$_2$ boundary conditions for the Jackiw-Teitelboim model in the linear dilaton sector where the dilaton is allowed to fluctuate to leading order at the boundary of the Poincar\'e disk. The most general set of boundary condtions is easily motivated in the gauge theoretic formulation as a Poisson sigma model and has an $\mathfrak{sl}(2)$ current algebra as asymptotic symmetries. Consistency of the variational principle requires a novel boundary counterterm in the holographically renormalized action, namely a kinetic term for the dilaton. The on-shell action can be naturally reformulated as a Schwarzian boundary action. While there can be at most three canonical boundary charges on an equal-time slice, we consider all Fourier modes of these charges with respect to the Euclidean boundary time and study their associated algebras. Besides the (centerless) $\mathfrak{sl}(2)$ current algebra we find for stricter boundary conditions a Virasoro algebra, a warped conformal algebra and a $\mathfrak{u}(1)$ current algebra. In each of these cases we get one half of a corresponding symmetry algebra in three-dimensional Einstein gravity with negative cosmological constant and analogous boundary conditions. However, on-shell some of these algebras reduce to finite-dimensional ones, reminiscent of the on-shell breaking of conformal invariance in SYK. We conclude with a discussion of thermodynamical aspects, in particular the entropy and some Cardyology., Comment: 42 pp, 5 figs, v2: added refs

We provide a well-defined variational principle for 3-dimensional flat space Einstein gravity by adding one half of the Gibbons-Hawking-York boundary term to the bulk action. We check the 0-point function, recovering consistency with thermodynamics of flat space cosmologies. We then apply our result to calculate the 1-point functions in flat space Einstein gravity for the vacuum and all flat space cosmologies. The results are compatible with the ones for the zero mode charges obtained by canonical analysis., 22 pp, v2: minor additions/clarifications in sections 3 and 4

Black hole thermodynamics emerged from the classical general relativistic laws of black hole mechanics, summarized by Bardeen-Carter-Hawking, together with the physical insights by Bekenstein about black hole entropy and the semi-classical derivation by Hawking of black hole evaporation. The black hole entropy law inspired the formulation of the holographic principle by 't Hooft and Susskind, which is famously realized in the gauge/gravity correspondence by Maldacena, Gubser-Klebanov-Polaykov and Witten within string theory. Moreover, the microscopic derivation of black hole entropy, pioneered by Strominger-Vafa within string theory, often serves as a consistency check for putative theories of quantum gravity. In this book chapter we review these developments over five decades, starting in the 1960ies., Comment: 31pp + refs, invited contribution to "Quantum Aspects of Black Hole Physics", Ed. Xavier Calmet (Springer, 2014)

Flat space cosmology spacetimes are exact time-dependent solutions of 3-dimensional gravity theories, such as Einstein gravity or topologically massive gravity. We exhibit a novel kind of phase transition between these cosmological spacetimes and the Minkowski vacuum. At sufficiently high temperature (rotating) hot flat space tunnels into a universe described by flat space cosmology., 5 pp, v2: removed Tolman factor from the discussion and corrected footnote [40]; essentially matches published version in PRL

We discuss a fine-tuning of rather generic three dimensional higher-curvature gravity actions that leads to gauge symmetry enhancement at the linearized level via partial masslessness. Requiring this gauge symmetry to be present also non-linearly reduces such actions to conformal Chern-Simons gravity. We perform a canonical analysis of this theory and construct the gauge generators and associated charges. We provide and classify admissible boundary conditions. The boundary conditions on the conformal equivalence class of the metric render one chirality of the partially massless Weyl gravitons normalizable and the remaining one non-normalizable. There are three choices - trivial, fixed or free - for the Weyl factors of the bulk metric and of the boundary metric. This proliferation of boundary conditions leads to various physically distinct scenarios of holography that we study in detail, extending considerably the discussion initiated in 1106.6299. In particular, the dual CFT may contain an additional scalar field with or without background charge, depending on the choices above., 67 pages. v2: Corrected typos, added references. Matches published version

We correct a sign in the first variation of the on-shell action of cosmological topologically massive gravity at the chiral point and present the three equations affected by that sign. While this does not change any of the main conclusions of arXiv:0805.2610, it modifies the finite part of the Brown-York stress tensor. Our corrected Brown-York stress tensor is still finite, conserved and traceless, but no longer coincides with that of global AdS_3. It agrees with results found in recent literature., Comment: 2 pages, erratum to arXiv:0805.2610