Geometric Extremization for AdS/CFT and Black Hole Entropy

Abstract

We consider supersymmetric $AdS_3\times Y_7$ solutions of type IIB supergravity dual to N=(0,2) SCFTs in d=2, as well as  $AdS_2\times Y_9$ solutions of D=11 supergravity dual to N=2 supersymmetric quantum mechanics, some of which arise as the near horizon limit of supersymmetric, charged black hole solutions in $AdS_4$. The relevant geometry on $Y_{2n+1}$, $n\ge 3$ was first identified in 2005-2007 and around that time infinite classes of explicit examples solutions were also found but, surprisingly, there was little progress in identifying the dual SCFTs. We present new results which change the status quo. For the case of $Y_7$, a variational principle allows one to calculate the central charge of the dual SCFT without knowing the explicit metric. This provides a geometric dual of c-extremization for d=2 N=(0,2) SCFTs analogous to the well known geometric duals of a-maximization of d=4 N=1 SCFTs and F-extremization of d=3 N=2 SCFTs in the context of Sasaki-Einstein geometry.  In the case of $Y_9$ a similar variational principle can be used to obtain properties of the dual N=2 quantum mechanics as well as the entropy of a class of supersymmetric black holes in $AdS_4$ thus providing a geometric dual of $I$-extremization.