A Calogero formulation for four-dimensional black-hole micro states

We extract the leading-order entropy of a four-dimensional extremal black hole in ${\cal N}{=}2$ ungauged supergravity by formulating the CFT$_1$ that is holographically dual to its near-horizon AdS$_2$ geometry, in terms of a rational Calogero model with a known counting formula for the degeneracy of states in its Hilbert space.Comment: 8 page

Indefinite theta functions for counting attractor backgrounds

In this note, we employ indefinite theta functions to regularize canonical partition functions for single-center dyonic BPS black holes. These partition functions count dyonic degeneracies in the Hilbert space of four-dimensional toroidally compactified heterotic string theory, graded by electric and magnetic charges. The regularization is achieved by viewing the weighted sums of degeneracies as sums over charge excitations in the near-horizon attractor geometry of an arbitrarily chosen black hole background, and eliminating the unstable modes. This enables us to rewrite these sums in terms of indefinite theta functions. Background independence is then implemented by using the transformation property of indefinite theta functions under elliptic transformations, while modular transformations are used to make contact with semi-classical results in supergravity.Comment: 24 pages, LaTe

Comments on the Spectrum of CHL Dyons

We address a number of puzzles relating to the proposed formulae for the degeneracies of dyons in orbifold compactifications of the heterotic string to four dimensions with $N =4$ supersymmetry. The partition function for these dyons is given in terms of Siegel modular forms associated with genus-two Riemann surfaces. We point out a subtlety in demonstrating S-duality invariance of the resulting degeneracies and give a prescription that makes the invariance manifest. We show, using M-theory lift of string webs, that the genus-two contribution captures the degeneracy only if a specific irreducibility criterion is satisfied by the charges. Otherwise, in general there can be additional contributions from higher genus Riemann surfaces. We analyze the negative discriminant states predicted by the formula. We show that even though there are no big black holes in supergravity corresponding to these states, there are multi-centered particle-like configurations with subleading entropy in agreement with the microscopic prediction and our prescription for S-duality invariance. The existence of the states is moduli dependent and we exhibit the curves of marginal stability and comment on its relation to S-duality invariance.Comment: 23 pages, 3 figure

Spectrum of dyons and black holes in CHL orbifolds using borcherds lift

The degeneracies of supersymmetric quarter BPS dyons in four dimensions and of spinning black holes in five dimensions in a CHL compactification are computed exactly using Borcherds lift. The Hodge anomaly in the construction has a physical interpretation as the contribution of a single M-theory Kaluza-Klein 6-brane in the 4d-5d lift. Using factorization, it is shown that the resulting formula has a natural interpretation as a two-loop partition function of left-moving heterotic string, consistent with the heuristic picture of dyons in the M-theory lift of string webs

Heating up branes in gauged supergravity

In this note, we explore the solution space of non-extremal black objects in $4D$ and $5D$ ${\cal N}=2$ gauged supergravity in the presence of fluxes. We present first order rewritings of the $4D$ action for a classes of non-extremal dyonic and electric solutions with electric flux backgrounds. Additionally, we obtain the non-extremal version of the Nernst brane in $AdS_5$ using a simple deformation. Finally, we develop a new technique to deform extremal black solutions in $4D$ to non-extremal solutions by an analysis of the symmetries of the equations of motion.Comment: Minor typographic correction

Counting Strings, Wound and Bound

We analyze zero mode counting problems for Dirac operators that find their origin in string theory backgrounds. A first class of quantum mechanical models for which we compute the number of ground states arises from a string winding an isometric direction in a geometry, taking into account its energy due to tension. Alternatively, the models arise from deforming marginal bound states of a string winding a circle, and moving in an orthogonal geometry. After deformation, the number of bound states is again counted by the zero modes of a Dirac operator. We count these bound states in even dimensional asymptotically linear dilaton backgrounds as well as in Euclidean Taub-NUT. We show multiple pole behavior in the fugacities keeping track of a U(1) charge. We also discuss a second class of counting problems that arises when these backgrounds are deformed via the application of a heterotic duality transformation. We discuss applications of our results to Appell-Lerch sums and the counting of domain wall bound states.Comment: 38 page

Indefinite theta functions and black hole partition functions

We explore various aspects of supersymmetric black hole partition functions in four-dimensional toroidally compactified heterotic string theory. These functions suffer from divergences owing to the hyperbolic nature of the charge lattice in this theory, which prevents them from having well-defined modular transformation properties. In order to rectify this, we regularize these functions by converting the divergent series into indefinite theta functions, thereby obtaining fully regulated single-centered black hole partitions functions.Comment: 35 pages; v2: various comments added; v3: a few typos correcte

Generalized Hot Attractors

Non-extremal black holes are endowed with geometric invariants related to their horizon areas. We extend earlier work on hot attractor black holes to higher dimensions and add a scalar potential. In addition to the event and Cauchy horizons, when we complexify the radial coordinate, non-extremal black holes will generically have other horizons as well. We prove that the product of all of the horizon areas is independent of variations of the asymptotic moduli further generalizing the attractor mechanism for extremal black holes. In the presence of a scalar potential, as typically appears in gauged supergravity, we find that the product of horizon areas is not necessarily the geometric mean of the extremal area, however. We outline the derivation of horizon invariants for stationary backgrounds.Comment: 39 pages, 3 figures, v2 references and clarifications adde