Schwarzian quantum corrections to shear correlators of the near-extremal Reissner-Nordström-AdS black hole

Abstract: Near-AdS$_2$ spacetimes are controlled by a Schwarzian effective dual theory. The Kaluza-Klein reduction of higher-dimensional black holes shows that the Schwarzian generates a logarithmic contribution to the entropy, thereby resolving a long-standing puzzle in near-extremal black hole thermodynamics. Here, we leverage exact results for quantum-corrected, Schwarzian scalar correlation functions in order to evaluate the impact of bulk quantum fluctuations on the low-temperature shear correlators of the state dual to Reissner-Nordström-AdS$_4$ black holes with a flat, compact horizon. In the hydrodynamic regime, we find that quantum fluctuations tend to increase the shear viscosity away from $s/(4π)$, thereby preserving the Kovtun-Son-Starinets bound. Outside the hydrodynamic regime, quantum fluctuations lift the zero temperature, classical gapless modes reported in previous literature.