Ricardo Troncoso

Bio: Ricardo Troncoso is an academic researcher from Centro de Estudios Científicos. The author has contributed to research in topics: General relativity & Black hole. The author has an hindex of 50, co-authored 133 publications receiving 6854 citations. Previous affiliations of Ricardo Troncoso include Université libre de Bruxelles & University of Santiago, Chile.

Black hole scan

Abstract: Gravitation theories selected by requiring that they have a unique anti-de Sitter vacuum with a fixed cosmological constant are studied. For a given dimension d, the Lagrangians under consideration are labeled by an integer k=1,2, . . . ,[(d-1)/2]. Black holes for each d and k are found and are used to rank these theories. A minimum possible size for a localized electrically charged source is predicted in the whole set of theories, except general relativity. It is found that the thermodynamic behavior falls into two classes: If d-2k=1, these solutions resemble the three dimensional black hole; otherwise, their behavior is similar to the Schwarzschild-AdS4 geometry. ©2000 The American Physical Society.

Exact black hole solution with a minimally coupled scalar field

Abstract: An exact four-dimensional black hole solution of gravity with a minimally coupled self-interacting scalar field is reported. The event horizon is a surface of negative constant curvature enclosing the curvature singularity at the origin, and the scalar field is regular everywhere outside the origin. This solution is an asymptotically locally anti-deSitter spacetime. The strong energy condition is satisfied on and outside the event horizon. The thermodynamical analysis shows the existence of a critical temperature, below which a black hole in vacuum undergoes a spontaneous dressing up with a nontrivial scalar field in a process reminiscent of ferromagnetism.

Black holes and asymptotics of 2 + 1 gravity coupled to a scalar field

Abstract: We consider $2+1$ gravity minimally coupled to a self-interacting scalar field. The case in which the fall-off of the fields at infinity is slower than that of a localized distribution of matter is analyzed. It is found that the asymptotic symmetry group remains the same as in pure gravity (i.e., the conformal group). The generators of the asymptotic symmetries, however, acquire a contribution from the scalar field, but the algebra of the canonical generators possesses the standard central extension. In this context, new massive black hole solutions with a regular scalar field are found for a one-parameter family of potentials. These black holes are continuously connected to the standard zero mass black hole.

Soft Heisenberg hair on black holes in three dimensions

Abstract: Three-dimensional Einstein gravity with a negative cosmological constant admits stationary black holes that are not necessarily spherically symmetric. We propose boundary conditions for the near-horizon region of these black holes that lead to a surprisingly simple near-horizon symmetry algebra consisting of two affine u^(1) current algebras. The symmetry algebra is essentially equivalent to the Heisenberg algebra. The associated charges give a specific example of “soft hair” on the horizon, as defined by Hawking, Perry and Strominger. We show that soft hair does not contribute to the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of Banados-Teitelboim-Zanelli black holes and “black flower” generalizations. From the near-horizon perspective the conformal generators at asymptotic infinity appear as composite operators, which we interpret in the spirit of black hole complementarity. Another remarkable feature of our boundary conditions is that they are singled out by requiring that the whole spectrum is compatible with regularity at the horizon, regardless of the value of the global charges like mass or angular momentum. Finally, we address black hole microstates and generalizations to cosmological horizons.

Conserved charges for gravity with locally anti-de sitter asymptotics

Abstract: A new formula for the conserved charges in $3+1$ gravity for spacetimes with local anti--de Sitter asymptotic geometry is proposed. It is shown that requiring the action to have an extremum for this class of asymptotia sets the boundary term that must be added to the Lagrangian as the Euler density with a fixed weight factor. The resulting action gives rise to the mass and angular momentum as Noether charges associated to the asymptotic Killing vectors without requiring specification of a reference background in order to have a convergent expression. A consequence of this definition is that any negative constant curvature spacetime has vanishing Noether charges. These results remain valid in the $\ensuremath{\Lambda}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0$ limit.

Quasinormal modes of black holes and black branes

Abstract: Quasinormal modes are eigenmodes of dissipative systems. Perturbations of classical gravitational backgrounds involving black holes or branes naturally lead to quasinormal modes. The analysis and classification of the quasinormal spectra require solving non-Hermitian eigenvalue problems for the associated linear differential equations. Within the recently developed gauge-gravity duality, these modes serve as an important tool for determining the near-equilibrium properties of strongly coupled quantum field theories, in particular their transport coefficients, such as viscosity, conductivity and diffusion constants. In astrophysics, the detection of quasinormal modes in gravitational wave experiments would allow precise measurements of the mass and spin of black holes as well as new tests of general relativity. This review is meant as an introduction to the subject, with a focus on the recent developments in the field.