Gibbons-Hawking action for electrically charged black holes in the canonical ensemble and Davies' thermodynamic theory of black holes (2410.12902v1)

Abstract: We establish the connection between the Gibbons-Hawking Euclidean path integral approach applied to the canonical ensemble of a Reissner-Nordstr\"om black hole and the thermodynamic theory of black holes of Davies. We build the ensemble, characterized by a reservoir at infinity at temperature $T$ and electric charge $Q$, in $d$ dimensions. The Euclidean path integral yields the action and partition function. In zero loop, we uncover two solutions, one with horizon radius $r_{+1}$ the least massive, the other with $r_{+2}$. We find a saddle point separating the solutions at $T_s$ and $Q_s$ with radius $r_{+s}$. For $T > T_s$ there is only hot flat space with charge at infinity. We derive the thermodynamics. The heat capacity gives that $T_s$ and $Q_s$ separate stable, $r_{+1}$, from unstable, $r_{+2}$ , solutions, the phase transition being second order. The free energy of the stable solution is positive, so if the system is a black hole it makes a first order transition to hot space. An interpretation of the results as energy wavelengths is attempted. For $d = 4$, the thermodynamics from the path integral applied to the canonical ensemble is precisely the Davies thermodynamics theory of black holes, with $T_s$ being the Davies point. We sketch the case $d = 5$.