An effective microscopic description of black brane thermodynamics Seminar

I will present effective microscopic field theories which provide a description of a general class of black branes near extremality. In the regime where the gravity description is valid, the field theory is strongly coupled and exhibits a scaling regime. This microscopic theory can be used to estimate the black brane entropy, yielding the correct dependence on temperature, brane tension, gravitational coupling and the number of microscopic constituents, N. Surprisingly, beyond the physical parameters we are also able to reproduce certain irrational factors such as \pi's. The class of theories is general enough to encompass string/M theory Dp, M2 and M5 branes, and indeed for the Dp and M2 cases we argue that the microscopic theory may be derived from classical moduli of maximally supersymmetric YM and ABJM with certain quantum corrections. However, the theories also apply to cases where there may be no fundamental description, including certain 4d charged dilatonic black holes.