On AdS to dS transitions in higher-curvature gravity

We study the possible existence of gravitational phase transitions from AdS to dS geometries in the context of higher-curvature gravities. We use Lanczos-Gauss-Bonnet (LGB) theory with a positive cosmological constant as a toy model. This theory has two maximally symmetric vacua with positive (dS) a...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Otero Camaño, Xián, Edelstein Glaubach, José Daniel, Gomberoff, Andrés, Sierra García, Jesús Aníbal
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2015
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (USC)
Repositorio:Minerva. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Santiago de Compostela
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:minerva.usc.gal:10347/21458
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10347/21458
Access Level:acceso abierto
Descripción
Sumario:We study the possible existence of gravitational phase transitions from AdS to dS geometries in the context of higher-curvature gravities. We use Lanczos-Gauss-Bonnet (LGB) theory with a positive cosmological constant as a toy model. This theory has two maximally symmetric vacua with positive (dS) and negative (AdS) constant curvature. We show that a phase transition from the AdS vacuum to a dS black hole geometry takes place when the temperature reaches a critical value. The transition is produced by nucleation of bubbles of the new phase that expand afterwards. We claim that this phenomenon is not particular to the model under study, that contains Boulware-Deser instabilities, but shall also be part of generic gravitational theories with higher-curvature terms, where these problems are absent. A salient feature that emerges when a positive cosmological constant is considered is that the temperature in which these bubbles may form is bounded from above. Thermodynamically this property is related to quite an uncommon feature that this system exhibits, namely, the existence of a zeroth-order phase transition