Higher-Derivative Corrections to Entropy and the Weak Gravity Conjecture in Anti-de Sitter Space

Abstract: We compute the four-derivative corrections to the geometry, extremality bound, and thermodynamic quantities of AdS-Reissner-Nordstr{\"o}m black holes for general dimensions and horizon geometries. We confirm the universal relationship between the extremality shift at fixed charge and the shift of the microcanonical entropy, and discuss the consequences of this relation for the Weak Gravity Conjecture in AdS. The thermodynamic corrections are calculated using two different methods: first by explicitly solving the higher-derivative equations of motion and second, by evaluating the higher-derivative Euclidean on-shell action on the leading-order solution. In both cases we find agreement, up to the addition of a Casimir energy in odd dimensions. We derive the bounds on the four-derivative Wilson coefficients implied by the conjectured positivity of the leading corrections to the microcanonical entropy of thermodynamically stable black holes. These include the requirement that the coefficient of Riemann-squared is positive, meaning that the positivity of the entropy shift is related to the condition that $c - a$ is positive in the dual CFT. We discuss implications for the deviation of $\eta/s$ from its universal value and a potential lower bound.