Extreme Black Hole Anabasis

Abstract

We study the $\mathsf{SL}(2)$ transformation properties of spherically symmetric perturbations of the Bertotti-Robinson universe and identify an invariant $μ$ that characterizes the backreaction of these linear solutions. The only backreaction allowed by Birkhoff's theorem is one that destroys the $AdS_2\times S^2$ boundary and builds the exterior of an asymptotically flat Reissner-Nordström black hole with $Q=M\sqrt{1-μ/4}$. We call such backreaction with boundary condition change an anabasis. We show that the addition of linear anabasis perturbations to Bertotti-Robinson may be thought of as a boundary condition that defines a connected $AdS_2\times S^2$. The connected $AdS_2$ is a nearly-$AdS_2$ with its $\mathsf{SL}(2)$ broken appropriately for it to maintain connection to the asymptotically flat region of Reissner-Nordström. We perform a backreaction calculation with matter in the connected $AdS_2\times S^2$ and show that it correctly captures the dynamics of the asymptotically flat black hole.