Thermodynamics of Quasi-Topological Cosmology

In this paper, we study thermodynamical properties of the apparent horizon in a universe governed by quasi-topological gravity. Our aim is twofold. First, by using the variational method we derive the general form of Friedmann equation in quasi-topological gravity. Then, by applying the first law of thermodynamics on the apparent horizon, after using the entropy expression associated with the black hole horizon in quasi-topological gravity, and replacing the horizon radius, $r_{+}$, with the apparent horizon radius, $\tilde{r}_{A}$, we derive the corresponding Friedmann equation in quasi-topological gravity. We find that these two different approaches yield the same result which show the profound connection between the first law of thermodynamics and the gravitational field equations of quasi-topological gravity. We also study the validity of the generalized second law of thermodynamics in quasi-topological cosmology. We find that, with the assumption of the local equilibrium hypothesis, the generalized second law of thermodynamics is fulfilled for the universe enveloped by the apparent horizon for the late time cosmology.Comment: 8 pages, no figure, Phys. Lett B, in press (2013

Thermodynamics of Rotating Black Branes in Gauss-Bonnet-Born-Infeld Gravity

Considering both the Gauss-Bonnet and the Born-Infeld terms, which are on similar footing with regard to string corrections on the gravity side and electrodynamic side, we present a new class of rotating solutions in Gauss-Bonnet gravity with $k$ rotation parameters in the presence of a nonlinear electromagnetic field. These solutions, which are asymptotically anti-de Sitter in the presence of cosmological constant, may be interpreted as black brane solutions with inner and outer event horizons, an extreme black brane or naked singularity provided the metric parameters are chosen suitably. We calculate the finite action and conserved quantities of the solutions by using the counterterm method, and find that these quantities do not depend on the Gauss-Bonnet parameter. We also compute the temperature, the angular velocities, the electric charge and the electric potential. Then, we calculate the entropy of the black brane through the use of Gibbs-Duhem relation and show that it obeys the area law of entropy. We obtain a Smarr-type formula for the mass as a function of the entropy, the angular momenta and the charge, and show that the conserved and thermodynamic quantities satisfy the first law of thermodynamics. Finally, we perform a stability analysis in both the canonical and grand-canonical ensemble and show that the presence of a nonlinear electromagnetic field has no effect on the stability of the black branes, and they are stable in the whole phase space.Comment: 17 pages, one figur