Luis Apolo
Current Organizations / Institutes
The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article
Previous Organizations / Institutes
The organizations / institutes from the scholar's other articles in the past ten years
Research Subjects
Research Interests
Luis Apolo has a total of 19 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:
- Wei Song
Tsinghua University
15 shared publications - Massimo Porrati
New York University
5 shared publications - Hongliang Jiang
Fudan University
4 shared publications - Sayed Fawad Hassan
Department of Physics & The Oskar Klein Centre, Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Centre
4 shared publications - Yuan Zhong
International Centre for Theoretical Physics Asia-Pacific University of Chinese Academy of Sciences 100190 Beijing China
4 shared publications - Suzanne Bintanja
University of California Los Angeles
3 shared publications
Latest Publications
- Open Access
- 10 March 2026
- Published by Springer Nature in Journal of High Energy Physics
- Vol. 2026 (3)
The on-shell action of supergravity & the B-side of TsT and single-trace $ T\overline{T} $A bstract: We propose boundary terms for the action of the NS sector of supergravity on M 3 × S 3 × T 4 spacetimes — where M 3 is an AdS 3 or a linear dilaton background — that render the Brown-York stress tensor and the on-shell action finite. For AdS 3 backgrounds, we show that the on-shell action yields a free energy with chemical potentials determined by the B -field. TsT (T-duality + shift + T-duality) transformations of these backgrounds generate classes of linear dilaton backgrounds distinguished by their boundary conditions. Among them, there is one class of backgrounds that reproduces features of the single-trace $$ T\overline{T} $$ deformation. These backgrounds have additional chemical potentials that can be turned off by large gauge transformations of the B -field. We show that the Brown-York stress tensor of these backgrounds reproduces the energies and the trace flow equation of $$ T\overline{T} $$ -deformed CFTs. We also show that the on-shell action matches the $$ T\overline{T} $$ partition function and discuss the interpretation of these results.- 10 March 2026
- Published by Springer Nature in Journal of High Energy Physics
- Vol. 2026 (3)
Open AccessThe on-shell action of supergravity & the B-side of TsT and single-trace $ T\overline{T} $A bstract: We propose boundary terms for the action of the NS sector of supergravity on M 3 × S 3 × T 4 spacetimes — where M 3 is an AdS 3 or a linear dilaton background — that render the Brown-York stress tensor and the on-shell action finite. For AdS 3 backgrounds, we show that the on-shell action yields a free energy with chemical potentials determined by the B -field. TsT (T-duality + shift + T-duality) transformations of these backgrounds generate classes of linear dilaton backgrounds distinguished by their boundary conditions. Among them, there is one class of backgrounds that reproduces features of the single-trace $$ T\overline{T} $$ deformation. These backgrounds have additional chemical potentials that can be turned off by large gauge transformations of the B -field. We show that the Brown-York stress tensor of these backgrounds reproduces the energies and the trace flow equation of $$ T\overline{T} $$ -deformed CFTs. We also show that the on-shell action matches the $$ T\overline{T} $$ partition function and discuss the interpretation of these results. - Open Access
- 27 November 2025
- Published by Stichting SciPost in SciPost Physics
- Vol. 19 (5) , 139
Searching for strongly coupled AdS matter with multi-trace deformations
Holographic CFTs admit a dual emergent description in terms of semiclassical general relativity minimally coupled to matter fields. While the gravitational interactions are required to be suppressed by the Planck scale, the matter sector is allowed to interact strongly at the AdS scale. From the perspective of the dual CFT, this requires breaking large- N N factorization in certain sectors of the theory. Exactly marginal multi-trace deformations are capable of achieving this while still preserving a consistent large- N N limit. We probe the effect of these deformations on the bulk theory by computing the relevant four-point functions in conformal perturbation theory. We find a simple answer in terms of a finite sum of conformal blocks, indicating that the correlators display no bulk-point singularities. This implies that the matter of the bulk theory is made strongly coupled by boundary terms rather than local bulk interactions. Our results suggest that holographic CFTs that describe strongly coupled AdS matter must be isolated points on the CFT landscape or sit infinitely far away on the conformal manifold from conventional holographic CFTs.
- 27 November 2025
- Published by Stichting SciPost in SciPost Physics
- Vol. 19 (5) , 139
Open AccessSearching for strongly coupled AdS matter with multi-trace deformations
Holographic CFTs admit a dual emergent description in terms of semiclassical general relativity minimally coupled to matter fields. While the gravitational interactions are required to be suppressed by the Planck scale, the matter sector is allowed to interact strongly at the AdS scale. From the perspective of the dual CFT, this requires breaking large- N N factorization in certain sectors of the theory. Exactly marginal multi-trace deformations are capable of achieving this while still preserving a consistent large- N N limit. We probe the effect of these deformations on the bulk theory by computing the relevant four-point functions in conformal perturbation theory. We find a simple answer in terms of a finite sum of conformal blocks, indicating that the correlators display no bulk-point singularities. This implies that the matter of the bulk theory is made strongly coupled by boundary terms rather than local bulk interactions. Our results suggest that holographic CFTs that describe strongly coupled AdS matter must be isolated points on the CFT landscape or sit infinitely far away on the conformal manifold from conventional holographic CFTs.
- Open Access
- 9 October 2024
- Published by Springer Nature in Journal of High Energy Physics
- Vol. 2024 (10) , 1-62
The light we can see: extracting black holes from weak Jacobi forms
We quantify how constraints on light states affect the asymptotic growth of heavy states in weak Jacobi forms. The constraints we consider are sparseness conditions on the Fourier coefficients of these forms, which are necessary to interpret them as gravitational path integrals. Using crossing kernels, we extract the leading and subleading behavior of these coefficients and show that the leading Cardy-like growth is robust in a wide regime of validity. On the other hand, we find that subleading corrections are sensitive to the constraints placed on the light states, and we quantify their imprint on the asymptotic growth of states. Our approach is tested against the generating function of symmetric product orbifolds, where we provide new insights into the factors contributing to the asymptotic growth of their Fourier coefficients. Finally, we use our methods to revisit the UV/IR connection that relates black hole microstate counting to modular forms. We provide a microscopic interpretation of the logarithmic corrections to the entropy of BPS black holes in $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2, 4 ungauged supergravity in four and five dimensions, and tie it to consistency conditions in AdS3/CFT2.- 9 October 2024
- Published by Springer Nature in Journal of High Energy Physics
- Vol. 2024 (10) , 1-62
Open AccessThe light we can see: extracting black holes from weak Jacobi forms
We quantify how constraints on light states affect the asymptotic growth of heavy states in weak Jacobi forms. The constraints we consider are sparseness conditions on the Fourier coefficients of these forms, which are necessary to interpret them as gravitational path integrals. Using crossing kernels, we extract the leading and subleading behavior of these coefficients and show that the leading Cardy-like growth is robust in a wide regime of validity. On the other hand, we find that subleading corrections are sensitive to the constraints placed on the light states, and we quantify their imprint on the asymptotic growth of states. Our approach is tested against the generating function of symmetric product orbifolds, where we provide new insights into the factors contributing to the asymptotic growth of their Fourier coefficients. Finally, we use our methods to revisit the UV/IR connection that relates black hole microstate counting to modular forms. We provide a microscopic interpretation of the logarithmic corrections to the entropy of BPS black holes in $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2, 4 ungauged supergravity in four and five dimensions, and tie it to consistency conditions in AdS3/CFT2. - Open Access
Extremal surfaces in glue-on AdS/$T\bar T$ holography
$T\bar T$ deformed CFTs with positive deformation parameter have been proposed to be holographically dual to Einstein gravity in a glue-on $\mathrm{AdS}_3$ spacetime. The latter is constructed from AdS$_3$ by gluing a patch of an auxiliary AdS$_3^*$ spacetime to its asymptotic boundary. In this work, we propose a glue-on version of the Ryu-Takayanagi formula, which is given by the signed area of an extremal surface. The extremal surface is anchored at the endpoints of an interval on a cutoff surface in the glue-on geometry. It consists of an RT surface lying in the AdS$_3$ part of the spacetime and its extension to the AdS$_3^*$ region. The signed area is the length of the RT surface minus the length of the segments in AdS$_3^*$. We find that the Ryu-Takayanagi formula with the signed area reproduces the entanglement entropy of a half interval for $T\bar T$-deformed CFTs on the sphere. We then study the properties of extremal surfaces on various glue-on geometries, including Poincaré $\mathrm{AdS}_3$, global $\mathrm{AdS}_3$, and the BTZ black hole. When anchored on multiple intervals at the boundary, the signed area of the minimal surfaces undergoes phase transitions with novel properties. In all of these examples, we find that the glue-on extremal surfaces exhibit a minimum length related to the deformation parameter of $T\bar T$-deformed CFTs.Open AccessExtremal surfaces in glue-on AdS/$T\bar T$ holography
$T\bar T$ deformed CFTs with positive deformation parameter have been proposed to be holographically dual to Einstein gravity in a glue-on $\mathrm{AdS}_3$ spacetime. The latter is constructed from AdS$_3$ by gluing a patch of an auxiliary AdS$_3^*$ spacetime to its asymptotic boundary. In this work, we propose a glue-on version of the Ryu-Takayanagi formula, which is given by the signed area of an extremal surface. The extremal surface is anchored at the endpoints of an interval on a cutoff surface in the glue-on geometry. It consists of an RT surface lying in the AdS$_3$ part of the spacetime and its extension to the AdS$_3^*$ region. The signed area is the length of the RT surface minus the length of the segments in AdS$_3^*$. We find that the Ryu-Takayanagi formula with the signed area reproduces the entanglement entropy of a half interval for $T\bar T$-deformed CFTs on the sphere. We then study the properties of extremal surfaces on various glue-on geometries, including Poincaré $\mathrm{AdS}_3$, global $\mathrm{AdS}_3$, and the BTZ black hole. When anchored on multiple intervals at the boundary, the signed area of the minimal surfaces undergoes phase transitions with novel properties. In all of these examples, we find that the glue-on extremal surfaces exhibit a minimum length related to the deformation parameter of $T\bar T$-deformed CFTs. - Open Access
- 11 January 2024
- Published by Springer Nature in Journal of High Energy Physics
- Vol. 2024 (1) , 1-38
Extremal surfaces in glue-on AdS/$ T\overline{T} $ holography$$ T\overline{T} $$ deformed CFTs with positive deformation parameter have been proposed to be holographically dual to Einstein gravity in a glue-on AdS3 spacetime [1]. The latter is constructed from AdS3 by gluing a patch of an auxiliary $$ {\textrm{AdS}}_3^{\ast } $$ spacetime to its asymptotic boundary. In this work, we propose a glue-on version of the Ryu-Takayanagi formula, which is given by the signed area of an extremal surface. The extremal surface is anchored at the endpoints of an interval on a cutoff surface in the glue-on geometry. It consists of an RT surface lying in the AdS3 part of the spacetime and its extension to the $$ {\textrm{AdS}}_3^{\ast } $$ region. The signed area is the length of the RT surface minus the length of the segments in $$ {\textrm{AdS}}_3^{\ast } $$ . We find that the Ryu-Takayanagi formula with the signed area reproduces the entanglement entropy of a half interval for $$ T\overline{T} $$ -deformed CFTs on the sphere. We then study the properties of extremal surfaces on various glue-on geometries, including Poincaré AdS3, global AdS3, and the BTZ black hole. When anchored on multiple intervals at the boundary, the signed area of the minimal surfaces undergoes phase transitions with novel properties. In all of these examples, we find that the glue-on extremal surfaces exhibit a minimum length related to the deformation parameter of $$ T\overline{T} $$ -deformed CFTs.- 11 January 2024
- Published by Springer Nature in Journal of High Energy Physics
- Vol. 2024 (1) , 1-38
Open AccessExtremal surfaces in glue-on AdS/$ T\overline{T} $ holography$$ T\overline{T} $$ deformed CFTs with positive deformation parameter have been proposed to be holographically dual to Einstein gravity in a glue-on AdS3 spacetime [1]. The latter is constructed from AdS3 by gluing a patch of an auxiliary $$ {\textrm{AdS}}_3^{\ast } $$ spacetime to its asymptotic boundary. In this work, we propose a glue-on version of the Ryu-Takayanagi formula, which is given by the signed area of an extremal surface. The extremal surface is anchored at the endpoints of an interval on a cutoff surface in the glue-on geometry. It consists of an RT surface lying in the AdS3 part of the spacetime and its extension to the $$ {\textrm{AdS}}_3^{\ast } $$ region. The signed area is the length of the RT surface minus the length of the segments in $$ {\textrm{AdS}}_3^{\ast } $$ . We find that the Ryu-Takayanagi formula with the signed area reproduces the entanglement entropy of a half interval for $$ T\overline{T} $$ -deformed CFTs on the sphere. We then study the properties of extremal surfaces on various glue-on geometries, including Poincaré AdS3, global AdS3, and the BTZ black hole. When anchored on multiple intervals at the boundary, the signed area of the minimal surfaces undergoes phase transitions with novel properties. In all of these examples, we find that the glue-on extremal surfaces exhibit a minimum length related to the deformation parameter of $$ T\overline{T} $$ -deformed CFTs. - Open Access
- 7 September 2023
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review D
- Vol. 108 (6) , L061901
Conformal field theories dual to quantum gravity with strongly coupled matter
A holographic conformal field theory is dual to semiclassical general relativity in anti–de Sitter space coupled to matter fields. If the conformal field theory (CFT) factorizes in the large- limit, then all couplings in its dual are suppressed by the Planck scale, making the matter fields weakly interacting. We propose a mechanism to produce CFTs whose dual matter fields couple weakly to gravity, but interact strongly with each other. We achieve this by turning on exactly marginal multitrace deformations, and quantify the effect using conformal perturbation theory.- 7 September 2023
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review D
- Vol. 108 (6) , L061901
Open AccessConformal field theories dual to quantum gravity with strongly coupled matter
A holographic conformal field theory is dual to semiclassical general relativity in anti–de Sitter space coupled to matter fields. If the conformal field theory (CFT) factorizes in the large- limit, then all couplings in its dual are suppressed by the Planck scale, making the matter fields weakly interacting. We propose a mechanism to produce CFTs whose dual matter fields couple weakly to gravity, but interact strongly with each other. We achieve this by turning on exactly marginal multitrace deformations, and quantify the effect using conformal perturbation theory. - Open Access
Swing surfaces and holographic entanglement beyond AdS/CFT
We propose a holographic entanglement entropy prescription for general states and regions in two models of holography beyond AdS/CFT known as flat$_3$/BMSFT and (W)AdS$_3$/WCFT. Flat$_3$/BMSFT is a candidate of holography for asymptotically flat three-dimensional spacetimes, while (W)AdS$_3$/WCFT is relevant in the study of black holes in the real world. In particular, the boundary theories are examples of quantum field theories that feature an infinite dimensional symmetry group but break Lorentz invariance. Our holographic entanglement entropy proposal is given by the area of a swing surface that consists of ropes, which are null geodesics emanating from the entangling surface at the boundary, and a bench, which is a spacelike geodesic connecting the ropes. The proposal is supported by an extension of the Lewkowycz-Maldacena argument, reproduces previous results based on the Rindler method, and satisfies the first law of entanglement entropy.
Open AccessSwing surfaces and holographic entanglement beyond AdS/CFT
We propose a holographic entanglement entropy prescription for general states and regions in two models of holography beyond AdS/CFT known as flat$_3$/BMSFT and (W)AdS$_3$/WCFT. Flat$_3$/BMSFT is a candidate of holography for asymptotically flat three-dimensional spacetimes, while (W)AdS$_3$/WCFT is relevant in the study of black holes in the real world. In particular, the boundary theories are examples of quantum field theories that feature an infinite dimensional symmetry group but break Lorentz invariance. Our holographic entanglement entropy proposal is given by the area of a swing surface that consists of ropes, which are null geodesics emanating from the entangling surface at the boundary, and a bench, which is a spacelike geodesic connecting the ropes. The proposal is supported by an extension of the Lewkowycz-Maldacena argument, reproduces previous results based on the Rindler method, and satisfies the first law of entanglement entropy.
- Open Access
- 10 December 2020
- Published by Springer Nature in Journal of High Energy Physics
- Vol. 2020 (12) , 1-49
Swing surfaces and holographic entanglement beyond AdS/CFT
We propose a holographic entanglement entropy prescription for general states and regions in two models of holography beyond AdS/CFT known as flat3/BMSFT and (W)AdS3/WCFT. Flat3/BMSFT is a candidate of holography for asymptotically flat three- dimensional spacetimes, while (W)AdS3/WCFT is relevant in the study of black holes in the real world. In particular, the boundary theories are examples of quantum field theories that feature an infinite dimensional symmetry group but break Lorentz invariance. Our holographic entanglement entropy proposal is given by the area of a swing surface that consists of ropes, which are null geodesics emanating from the entangling surface at the boundary, and a bench, which is a spacelike geodesic connecting the ropes. The proposal is supported by an extension of the Lewkowycz-Maldacena argument, reproduces previous results based on the Rindler method, and satisfies the first law of entanglement entropy.
- 10 December 2020
- Published by Springer Nature in Journal of High Energy Physics
- Vol. 2020 (12) , 1-49
Open AccessSwing surfaces and holographic entanglement beyond AdS/CFT
We propose a holographic entanglement entropy prescription for general states and regions in two models of holography beyond AdS/CFT known as flat3/BMSFT and (W)AdS3/WCFT. Flat3/BMSFT is a candidate of holography for asymptotically flat three- dimensional spacetimes, while (W)AdS3/WCFT is relevant in the study of black holes in the real world. In particular, the boundary theories are examples of quantum field theories that feature an infinite dimensional symmetry group but break Lorentz invariance. Our holographic entanglement entropy proposal is given by the area of a swing surface that consists of ropes, which are null geodesics emanating from the entangling surface at the boundary, and a bench, which is a spacelike geodesic connecting the ropes. The proposal is supported by an extension of the Lewkowycz-Maldacena argument, reproduces previous results based on the Rindler method, and satisfies the first law of entanglement entropy.
- Open Access
Modular Hamiltonians in flat holography and (W)AdS/WCFT
We study several aspects of holographic entanglement in two models known as flat$_3$/BMSFT and (W)AdS$_3$/WCFT. These are two examples of holography beyond AdS/CFT where the the boundary field theories are not Lorentz invariant but still feature an infinite set of local symmetries. In the first example, BMS-invariant field theories (BMSFTs) are conjectured to provide a holographic description of quantum gravity in asymptotically flat three-dimensional spacetimes; while in the second example, warped conformal field theories (WCFTs) are proposed to describe quantum gravity in warped AdS$_3$ or AdS$_3$ backgrounds with Dirichlet-Neumann boundary conditions. In particular, we derive the modular Hamiltonian for single intervals in both BMSFTs and WCFTs and find the holographic duals in the bulk using the covariant formulation of gravitational charges. We also extend the first law of entanglement entropy to these models of non-AdS holography and discuss the bound on "modular chaos" introduced recently in the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence.
Open AccessModular Hamiltonians in flat holography and (W)AdS/WCFT
We study several aspects of holographic entanglement in two models known as flat$_3$/BMSFT and (W)AdS$_3$/WCFT. These are two examples of holography beyond AdS/CFT where the the boundary field theories are not Lorentz invariant but still feature an infinite set of local symmetries. In the first example, BMS-invariant field theories (BMSFTs) are conjectured to provide a holographic description of quantum gravity in asymptotically flat three-dimensional spacetimes; while in the second example, warped conformal field theories (WCFTs) are proposed to describe quantum gravity in warped AdS$_3$ or AdS$_3$ backgrounds with Dirichlet-Neumann boundary conditions. In particular, we derive the modular Hamiltonian for single intervals in both BMSFTs and WCFTs and find the holographic duals in the bulk using the covariant formulation of gravitational charges. We also extend the first law of entanglement entropy to these models of non-AdS holography and discuss the bound on "modular chaos" introduced recently in the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence.
- Open Access
- 4 September 2020
- Published by Springer Nature in Journal of High Energy Physics
- Vol. 2020 (9) , 1-47
Modular Hamiltonians in flat holography and (W)AdS/WCFT
We study several aspects of holographic entanglement in two models known as flat3/BMSFT and (W)AdS3/WCFT. These are two examples of holography beyond AdS/CFT where the boundary field theories are not Lorentz invariant but still feature an infinite set of local symmetries. In the first example, BMS-invariant field theories (BMSFTs) are conjectured to provide a holographic description of quantum gravity in asymptotically flat three-dimensional spacetimes; while in the second example, warped conformal field theories (WCFTs) are proposed to describe quantum gravity in warped AdS3 or AdS3 backgrounds with Dirichlet-Neumann boundary conditions. In particular, we derive the modular Hamiltonian for single intervals in both BMSFTs and WCFTs and find the holographic duals in the bulk using the covariant formulation of gravitational charges. We also extend the first law of entanglement entropy to these models of non-AdS holography and discuss the bound on “modular chaos” introduced recently in the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence.
- 4 September 2020
- Published by Springer Nature in Journal of High Energy Physics
- Vol. 2020 (9) , 1-47
Open AccessModular Hamiltonians in flat holography and (W)AdS/WCFT
We study several aspects of holographic entanglement in two models known as flat3/BMSFT and (W)AdS3/WCFT. These are two examples of holography beyond AdS/CFT where the boundary field theories are not Lorentz invariant but still feature an infinite set of local symmetries. In the first example, BMS-invariant field theories (BMSFTs) are conjectured to provide a holographic description of quantum gravity in asymptotically flat three-dimensional spacetimes; while in the second example, warped conformal field theories (WCFTs) are proposed to describe quantum gravity in warped AdS3 or AdS3 backgrounds with Dirichlet-Neumann boundary conditions. In particular, we derive the modular Hamiltonian for single intervals in both BMSFTs and WCFTs and find the holographic duals in the bulk using the covariant formulation of gravitational charges. We also extend the first law of entanglement entropy to these models of non-AdS holography and discuss the bound on “modular chaos” introduced recently in the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence.