Unifying topological, geometric, and complex classifications of black hole thermodynamics

Shi-Hao Zhang; Shao-Wen Wei; Jing-Fei Zhang; Xin Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2026.140822

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arXiv · 2604.08315

Unifying topological, geometric, and complex classifications of black hole thermodynamics

Shi-Hao Zhang·Shao-Wen Wei·Jing-Fei Zhang·Xin Zhang

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Abstract

Black hole thermodynamics has recently witnessed three distinct classification schemes: based on local geometric properties of the temperature function, global topological invariants, and Riemann surface foliations in the complex plane. We show that these schemes can be precisely mapped onto one another in the real domain via two dictionaries: one linking thermal stability to the monotonicity of the temperature curve, and the other connecting the number of black hole states to the foliation number of a Riemann surface. The number of extremal points of the temperature curve determines the classification in all three frameworks, tracing this unification to the critical point structure of the black hole solution space. As an illustration, several black holes demonstrate how counting extrema yields topological invariants and phase transition information. This unified framework simplifies black hole thermodynamic analysis and provides a foundation for exploring more complex black holes.

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Shi-Hao Zhang, Shao-Wen Wei, Jing-Fei Zhang, Xin Zhang. 2026-07-31. Unifying topological, geometric, and complex classifications of black hole thermodynamics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2026.140822

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