Phase Transitions in 4D Gauss-Bonnet-de Sitter Black Holes

• Published in: arXiv.org
• Main Authors: Marks, Gareth Arturo, Simovic, Fil, Mann, Robert B
• Format: Paper Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 10.08.2021
• Subjects: Black holes; Cosmological constant; Coupling; Gravitation theory; Parameters; Phase transitions; Physics - General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology; Physics - High Energy Physics - Theory; Radiation; Solid phases
• ISSN: 2331-8422
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2107.11352

We investigate thermodynamic aspects of black holes in the recently formulated four dimensional Gauss-Bonnet theory of gravity, focusing on its asymptotically de Sitter (\(\Lambda>0\)) solutions. We take a Euclidean path integral approach, where thermodynamic data is fixed at a finite radius `cavity' outside the black hole to achieve equilibrium in the presence of the cosmological horizon. Working in the extended phase space where the cosmological constant is treated as a thermodynamic pressure, we study the phase structure of both uncharged and charged solutions, uncovering a wealth of phenomena. In the uncharged case, black holes are found to undergo either the standard Hawking-Page-like transition to empty de Sitter space or a small-large transition (akin to those seen in charged AdS black holes in pure Einstein gravity) depending on the pressure. We also find a triple point where the radiation, small, and large black hole phases coexist, and a zeroth-order phase transition within a narrow range of Gauss-Bonnet coupling parameter. Reentrant phase transitions between radiation and a small black hole also exist inside a certain parameter range. Similar phenomena are found in the charged case, with the charge parameter playing a role analogous to the Gauss-Bonnet coupling parameter in determining the phase structure.