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On generalized gravitational entropy, squashed cones and holography

High Energy Physics - Theory · Submitted 27 Aug 2013 · 40 references

Pith's verdict: A careful technical computation that reproduces known universal terms via the FPS squashed cone plus LM, but the Wald-entropy shortcut rests on a fitted regulator whose 'theory independence' defense is weaker than the paper claims.

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arXiv ID1308.5748 (version 3)
Pith ID7UQ2ILBJ, Pith's permanent record of this paper and its review
CitationAninda Sinha, Arpan Bhattacharyya, Menika Sharma. "On generalized gravitational entropy, squashed cones and holography." arXiv:1308.5748 (2013). https://pith.science/paper/7UQ2ILBJ
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Referee report
The paper

The paper claims

Wald's entropy formula, evaluated in a bulk geometry built from a regularized squashed cone, reproduces the universal anomaly coefficients of entanglement entropy in higher-derivative gravity, provided the cone's regulator is chosen as a特定e

The reading

Holographic entanglement entropy says the entropy of a region in a conformal field theory equals the area of a minimal surface in a higher-dimensional gravity dual. The Lewkowycz–Maldacena derivation of that rule works by analytically continuing a replica index $n$ and taking $n to 1$, but it was originally carried out for Einstein gravity. This paper asks whether the same machinery survives when the bulk action contains curvature-squared, quasi-topological, or string-theoretic $C^4$ corrections, and whether the resulting entropy can be written as Wald's Noether-charge formula rather than as a purpose-built entropy functional. Using a recently proposed regularization of

What carries the argument

The load-bearing device is the squashed-cone boundary metric, in which the transverse sphere or circle is written as $(f_0 + r^n d^{1-n} cos tau)^2 dOmega^2$ and the $r$-$tau$ part as $f(r,b)dr^2 + r^2 dtau^2$. The factor $r^n$ in front of the extrinsic-curvature deformation is what keeps the boundary Ricci scalar finite as $n to 1$; without it the curvature diverges like $(n-1)/r$. Feeding this metric into the Fefferman-Graham expansion, the coefficient $g_{(2)ij} = -(tilde L^2/2)(R^{(0)}_{ij} - g_{(0)ij}R^{(0)}/6)$ controls the $1/rho$ term of the on-shell action, and hence the logarithmic entropy. A second device is the order of limits: send $r to 0$ first and only then $n to 1$, so that $r^{n}$ suppresses the $cos tau$ terms that would otherwise break time-translation symmetry. This is what makes the surface look like a bifurcate horizon and lets Wald's formula apply.

Extended reading notes

Core claim

The authors take the regularized squashed-cone boundary metrics of Fursaev, Patrushev and Solodukhin, extend them into the bulk with a Fefferman-Graham expansion, and evaluate the generalized gravitational entropy. In a general four-derivative theory, in quasi-topological gravity, and in $alpha'^3$ type IIB supergravity, the universal logarithmic terms come out with the expected anomaly coefficients $a$ and $c$ for spherical and cylindrical entangling surfaces; the $C^4$ correction, as expected, leaves them untouched. The central claim is that Wald's entropy functional, evaluated on the codimension-two surface $r=0=tau$ in this Fefferman-Graham metric, gives the same universal terms — even though Wald entropy in pure anti-de Sitter space is known to give the wrong answer. The reason offered is that the regularized cone metric mimics the Iyer-Wald construction for dynamical horizons: taking $r to 0$ before $n to 1$ makes the extrinsic curvatures of the entangling surface vanish, removing the very terms by which the Wald and Jacobson-Myers functionals differ.

Load-bearing premise

The regulator $b$ in the squashed-cone metric is not derived but chosen by hand, as a specific power of $(n-1)$ that depends on the shape of the entangling surface but not on the gravity theory, and the authors state in their Discussion that a justification for this choice still has to be found.

Editorial extensions

If this is right

  • The universal $a$ and $c$ anomaly coefficients of a four-dimensional CFT are recovered from the generalized gravitational entropy in any of the higher-derivative bulk theories considered, so the holographic entropy rule is not an artifact of Einstein gravity.
  • Wald's Noether-charge formula, applied in the right background rather than in pure anti-de Sitter space, becomes a practical route to entanglement entropy in an arbitrary higher-derivative theory, bypassing the need to guess a Jacobson-Myers-type entropy functional.
  • The entangling-surface equation in Gauss-Bonnet gravity follows from the Lewkowycz-Maldacena procedure without the small-extrinsic-curvature assumption used in earlier work, once the $r^n$ regularization and the $r to 0$-then-$n to 1$ ordering are adopted.
  • The same intermediate expressions yield $partial_n S_n|_{n=1} propto c_T$ for both spherical and cylindrical surfaces, extending a known universality of Renyi entropy near $n=1$ to the cylindrical case where holographic results were not previously available.

Reading between the lines

Editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • If the regulator $b$ could be derived from a global regularity condition on the bulk — for instance by demanding the full ten-dimensional or stringy completion be smooth — the Wald computation would turn from a consistency check into a genuine prediction for theories where no independent entropy functional is known.
  • The parallel between the Fefferman-Graham metric and the Iyer-Wald boost-invariant reconstruction suggests that entanglement entropy in higher-derivative gravity may literally be a Noether charge of an approximate Killing field, which would put black-hole and entanglement entropy on the same footing rather than merely analogous ones.
  • Because the $C^4$ correction drops out of the universal terms, the construction predicts that $1/lambda$ corrections in $mathcal{N}=4$ super Yang-Mills do not shift the $a$ and $c$ anomalies; a field-theory computation of the anomalous coefficients at finite 't Hooft coupling would test this directly.
  • The failure of the method away from $n=1$ — the authors note that general Renyi entropies would depend on the detailed form of $f(r,b)$ away from $r=0$ — hints that the regularization is only asymptotically meaningful, and that a proper treatment needs global information such as the temperature of the dual hyperbolic black hole.
Original abstract

We consider generalized gravitational entropy in various higher derivative theories of gravity dual to four dimensional CFTs using the recently proposed regularization of squashed cones. We derive the universal terms in the entanglement entropy for spherical and cylindrical surfaces. This is achieved by constructing the Fefferman-Graham expansion for the leading order metrics for the bulk geometry and evaluating the generalized gravitational entropy. We further show that the Wald entropy evaluated in the bulk geometry constructed for the regularized squashed cones leads to the correct universal parts of the entanglement entropy for both spherical and cylindrical entangling surfaces. We comment on the relation with the Iyer-Wald formula for dynamical horizons relating entropy to a Noether charge. Finally we show how to derive the entangling surface equation in Gauss-Bonnet holography.

The compiled record

The paper's own sentences, arranged, kept beside the review and separate from it. Each label is drawn from a closed vocabulary; the number beside it is the probability the classifier gave that label. Numbers in the tables are the authors', checked by code. No sentence in this record was written by a model.

Compiled by classifier-1.13-20260917 via OpenRouter, question bank abstract-p1-20260923, 2026-09-23: 1 request, 4,898 input tokens, $0.0002 reported.

What the abstract itself states, as probabilities: claims first 0.04 · states limitation 0.08 · human participants 0.01 · controlled comparison 0.02 · randomized assignment 0.01 · states quantitative result 0.07 · compares with prior results 0.68 · mentions code or data availability 0.02.

The abstract, sentence by sentence

arXiv listing abstract v3. Results and the main claim are underlined; .

We consider generalized gravitational entropy in various higher derivative theories of gravity dual to four dimensional CFTs using the recently proposed regularization of squashed cones. We derive the universal terms in the entanglement entropy for spherical and cylindrical surfaces. This is achieved by constructing the Fefferman-Graham expansion for the leading order metrics for the bulk geometry and evaluating the generalized gravitational entropy. We further show that the Wald entropy evaluated in the bulk geometry constructed for the regularized squashed cones leads to the correct universal parts of the entanglement entropy for both spherical and cylindrical entangling surfaces. We comment on the relation with the Iyer-Wald formula for dynamical horizons relating entropy to a Noether charge. Finally we show how to derive the entangling surface equation in Gauss-Bonnet holography.

background contribution method result interpretation main claim

What the classifier reports for each sentence. The number is the probability it gave the label.
#sentencerolethe authors' own workstates the main conclusionstrength
s0 We consider generalized gravitational entropy in various higher derivative theories of gravity dual to four dimensional CFTs using the recently proposed regularization of squashed cones. contribution 0.84 0.86 0.07 asserted 0.84
s1 We derive the universal terms in the entanglement entropy for spherical and cylindrical surfaces. result 0.91 0.96 0.28 asserted 1.00
s2 This is achieved by constructing the Fefferman-Graham expansion for the leading order metrics for the bulk geometry and evaluating the generalized gravitational entropy. method 1.00 0.94 0.07 asserted 0.99
s3 We further show that the Wald entropy evaluated in the bulk geometry constructed for the regularized squashed cones leads to the correct universal parts of the entanglement entropy for both spherical and cylindrical entangling surfaces. result 0.99 0.95 0.48 asserted 1.00
s4 We comment on the relation with the Iyer-Wald formula for dynamical horizons relating entropy to a Noether charge. interpretation 0.90 0.48 0.04 unclear 0.83
s5 Finally we show how to derive the entangling surface equation in Gauss-Bonnet holography. contribution 0.60 0.93 0.09 asserted 1.00

What kind of paper the classifier reports this is: theoretical result 1.00 · evidence from proof or derivation 1.00.

What was examined, and what was not

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  • references and citing sentences
  • relations to other papers
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  • P abstract
not run
  • S sections
  • T body sentences
  • C citations
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Every quoted sentence on this record is the authors'. Every label is from Pith's closed vocabulary, with the probability shown beside it. Every number in the measurements table is the authors', checked by code. Record as JSON

References
How later papers used it

46 later papers cite it

Evidence: substantial. 41 of the citing papers share no author with it, and 7 of those carry a confident label from Pith's citation classifier.

Pith read 12 of the 83 citing sentences, choosing only those whose citation markers point at this paper alone, and wrote the paraphrases from them. The summary, the counts, the evidence level, the links and the quotes come from code; the summary counts the papers listed below. A later paper is listed under a label when Pith's citation classifier gives one of its sentences that label at probability 0.8 or more (0.95 for support), Pith's reading finds that the citing paper itself did it, and a second check confirms the paraphrase against the sentence. This section lists uses only. It does not list criticism or disagreement, so their absence here says nothing about how the paper has been received. Papers that share an author with this one are listed apart, under "By the same authors". A quote is the citing authors' own sentence, shown when their paper's licence is CC BY, CC BY-SA or CC0. JSON

Uses its method or tool 1 of 8 papers with this label · 1 by the same authors

By the same authors

How the literature uses it

46 arXiv papers cite this in 83 sentences

Each citing sentence is taken from the citing paper's LaTeX source and typed by Pith's classifier. A label appears at probability 0.8 or more (0.95 for support), a contest at 0.7 or more; the quoted words are the citing authors'. How each label was checked · JSON

Papers citing it · 56 sentences without a confident label

Uses its method or tool 8 papers
  • Nevertheless to compute the entanglement entropy for the present case, based on the results of [ref] , the authors of [ref] have considered the following entropy functional to be minimized to compute the entanglement entropy S_EE=1/4G_N∫dx√(g_ind){1-1/m^2[(R_μνn^μ_in^ν_i- 1/2K_i^2)-3/4R]}, where $i=1,2$ denotes two transverse directions to a co-dimension two hypersurface in the bulk, $n_i^μ$ are two unit mutually orthogonal normal vectors on the co-dimension two hypersurface and $K^(i)$ is trace of the two extrinsic curvature tensors defined by K_μν^(i)=π^σ_ μ π^ρ_ ν∇_ρ(n_i)_σ, with π^σ_ μ=ϵ^σ_ μ+ξ∑_i=1,2(n_i)^σ(n_i)_μ , where $ξ=-1$ for space-like and $ξ=1$ for time-like vectors.

    Entanglement Entropy for Logarithmic Conformal Field Theory · Three dimensional log-gravity · 0.96

  • Wald entropy of the charged black hole in Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity can be obtained from equations ([ref]),([ref]),([ref]) and ([ref]) and is given as: [equation] Holographic entanglement entropy for the action ([ref]) was calculated in [ref] and is given below: [equation] where $h$ is the determinant of the following induced metric on constant $t,r=a$ surface: [equation] Now we are going to simplify equation ([ref]) using Gauss-Codazzi equation [ref] , [equation] From equations ([ref]) and ([ref]) entanglement entropy in Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity simplifies to the following form (which is the gravitational contribution the generalised entropy): [equation] and matter contribution to the entanglement entropy is [ref] [Matter contributions to the entanglement entropy is same as [ref] up to some point which can be obtained using equations ([ref]), ([ref]), ([ref]), ([ref]) and ([ref

    Page Curves of Reissner-Nordstr\"om Black Hole in HD Gravity · Page Curves of Charged Black Hole in Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet Gravity · 0.83

  • Here we will use the gravitational entropy proposed by Dong [ref] and Camps [ref] , which motivated to describe the gravitational dual of the entanglement entropy of CFT in the AdS/CFT setup (see also [ref] ).

    Cutoff Scale of Quadratic Gravity from Quantum Focusing Conjecture · Gravitational Entropy · 0.80

Compares with it 1 paper
Cites it as support 1 paper
Cites it as background 14 papers

What it cites · 55 sentences without a confident label

Contests 3 papers
Uses the method or tool of 4 papers
Compares with 5 papers
  • We will find that the Fefferman-Graham metric, for the cases where the boundary metrics are given by the regularized metrics proposed in [ref] , has some similarities with the Iyer-Wald construction.

    Distributional Geometry of Squashed Cones · Introduction · 0.88

  • The key point in eq.([ref]) as compared to earlier regularizations e.g., [ref] is the introduction of a regulator in the extrinsic curvature terms.

    Generalized gravitational entropy · Generalized Gravitational Entropy · 0.80

  • In particular it coincided with what arises from the Jacobson-Myers (JM) entropy functional [ref] which differs from the Wald entropy functional [ref] in terms quadratic in the extrinsic curvature [ref] .

    Holographic Entanglement Entropy in Lovelock Gravities · Introduction · 0.98

Cites as background 11 papers
  • Recently Lewkowycz and Maldacena (LM) [ref] have proposed a derivation of the Ryu-Takayangi (RT) prescription [ref] for computing entanglement entropy (EE) [ref] in holography [ref] .

    Holographic Entanglement Entropy: An Overview · Introduction · 0.99

  • Recently Lewkowycz and Maldacena (LM) [ref] have proposed a derivation of the Ryu-Takayangi (RT) prescription [ref] for computing entanglement entropy (EE) [ref] in holography [ref] .

    Generalized gravitational entropy · Introduction · 0.99

  • Recently Lewkowycz and Maldacena (LM) [ref] have proposed a derivation of the Ryu-Takayangi (RT) prescription [ref] for computing entanglement entropy (EE) [ref] in holography [ref] .

    Entanglement entropy in free quantum field theory · Introduction · 0.99

Discussion

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