https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-020-7864-3
Regular Article - Theoretical Physics
Switchback effect of holographic complexity in multiple-horizon black holes
Department of Physics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
* e-mail: jiejiang@mail.bnu.edu.cn
Received:
11
November
2019
Accepted:
22
March
2020
Published online:
6
April
2020
In this paper, we use the “complexity equals action” (CA) conjecture to explore the switchback effect in the strongly-coupled quantum field theories with finite N and finite coupling effects. In the perspective of holography, this is equivalent to evaluating the CA complexity in a Vaidya geometry equipped with a light shockwave for a higher curvature gravitational theory. Based on the Noether charge formalism of Iyer and Wald, we obtain the slope of the complexity of formation in the small- and large-time approximations. By circuit analogy, we show that our results concur with the switchback effect of the quantum system. These results show that the switchback effect is a general feature of the CA complexity in stationary black holes and its existence is independent of the explicit gravitational theory as well as spacetime background. From the viewpoint of AdS/CFT, this also implies that the switchback effect is a general feature of the thermofield double state in the strongly-coupled quantum field systems with finite N and finite coupling effects. Moreover, we also illustrate that unlike the late-time complexity growth rate, the counterterm plays an important role in the study of the switchback effect.
© The Author(s), 2020