Abstract: Taking the large dimension limit of Einstein’s equations is a useful strategy for solving and understanding the dynamics that these equations encode. I will introduce the underlying ideas and the progress that has resulted in recent years from this line of research. Most of the discussion will be classical in nature and will concern situations where there is a black hole horizon. A main highlight of this approach is the formulation of effective membrane theories of black hole dynamics. These have made possible to efficiently study, with relatively simple techniques, some of the thorniest problems in black hole physics, such as the non-linear evolution of the instabilities of black strings and black branes, and the collisions and mergers of higher-dimensional black holes. Open directions and opportunities will also be discussed. To get a flavor of what this is about, you may read the first few pages of the review (with C.P. Herzog) e-Print: 2003.11394.
The Large D Limit of Einstein’s Equations
10/22/2021 9:30 am - 10:30 am