The thermal scalar and random walks in curved spacetime

Abstract

The curved space generalization of near-Hagedorn string thermodynamics is discussed in terms of the thermal scalar mode. This mode singly winds the compact time direction and represents the most dominating state near the Hagedorn temperature. We discuss the random walk picture in a curved background and its relation to the thermal scalar. Then we apply this formalism to the thermal gas near black hole horizons, where a long random walking string is found at string length from the black hole horizon, in agreement with Susskind's picture of the stretched membrane

Revisiting noninteracting string partition functions in Rindler space

“…A possible link with the firewall paradox is apparent. * tmertens@princeton.edu † henri.verschelde@ugent.be ‡ vzakharov@itep.ru 1 The physical significance of this thermal scalar field was further analyzed in [29][30] [31]. arXiv:1511.00560v2 [hep-th]…”