We argue that the late time behavior of horizon fluctuations in large anti-de Sitter (AdS) black holes is governed by the random matrix dynamics characteristic of quantum chaotic systems. Our main tool is the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model, which we use as a simple model of a black hole. We use an analytically continued partition function |Z(β+it)|²as well as correlation functions as diagnostics. Using numerical techniques we establish random matrix behavior at late times. We determine the early time behavior exactly in a double scaling limit, giving us a plausible estimate for the crossover time to random matrix behavior. We use these ideas to formulate a conjecture about general large AdS black holes, like those dual to 4D super-Yang-Mills theory, giving a provisional estimate of the crossover time. We make some preliminary comments about challenges to understanding the late time dynamics from a bulk point of view.

The fine grained energy spectrum of quantum chaotic systems is widely believed to be described by random matrix statistics. A basic scale in such a system is the energy range over which this behavior persists. We define the corresponding time scale by the time at which the linearly growing ramp region in the spectral form factor begins. We call this time t _ramp. The purpose of this paper is to study this scale in many-body quantum systems that display strong chaos, sometimes called scrambling systems. We focus on randomly coupled qubit systems, both local and k-local (all-to-all interactions) and the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model. Using numerical results, analytic estimates for random quantum circuits, and a heuristic analysis of Hamiltonian systems we find the following results. For geometrically local systems with a conservation law we find t _ramp is determined by the diffusion time across the system, order N ² for a 1D chain of N qubits. This is analogous to the behavior found for local one-body chaotic systems. For a k-local system like SYK the time is order log N but with a different prefactor and a different mechanism than the scrambling time. In the absence of any conservation laws, as in a generic random quantum circuit, we find t _ramp ∼ log N, independent of connectivity.

We present the first Monte Carlo results for supersymmetric matrix quantum mechanics with 16 supercharges at finite temperature. The recently proposed nonlattice simulation enables us to include the effects of fermionic matrices in a transparent and reliable manner. The internal energy nicely interpolates the weak coupling behavior obtained by the high temperature expansion, and the strong coupling behavior predicted from the dual black-hole geometry. The Polyakov line asymptotes at low temperature to a characteristic behavior for a deconfined theory, suggesting the absence of a phase transition. These results provide highly nontrivial evidence for the gauge-gravity duality.

We suggest that the holographic principle, combined with recent technological advances in atomic, molecular, and optical physics, can lead to experimental studies of quantum gravity. As a specific example, we consider the Sachdev–Ye–Kitaev (SYK) model, which consists of spin-polarized fermions with an all-to-all complex random two-body hopping and has been conjectured to be dual to a certain quantum-gravitational system. Achieving low-temperature states of the SYK model is interpreted as a realization of a stringy black hole, provided that the holographic duality is true. We introduce a variant of the SYK model, in which the random two-body hopping is real. This model is equivalent to the original SYK model in the large-$$N$$ limit. We show that this model can be created in principle by confining ultracold fermionic atoms into optical lattices and coupling two atoms with molecular states via photo-association lasers. This development serves as an important first step towards an experimental realization of such systems dual to quantum black holes. We also show how to measure out-of-time-order correlation functions of the SYK model, which allow for identifying the maximally chaotic property of the black hole.

We perform a direct test of the gauge-gravity duality associated with the system of $N$ $D0$-branes in type IIA superstring theory at finite temperature. Based on the fact that higher derivative corrections to the type IIA supergravity action start at the order of ${\alpha }^{\prime 3}$, we derive the internal energy in expansion around infinite ’t Hooft coupling up to the subleading term with one unknown coefficient. The power of the subleading term is shown to be nicely reproduced by the Monte Carlo data obtained nonperturbatively on the gauge theory side at finite but large effective (dimensionless) ’t Hooft coupling constant. This suggests, in particular, that the open strings attached to the $D0$-branes provide the microscopic origin of the black hole thermodynamics of the dual geometry including ${\alpha }^{\prime }$ corrections. The coefficient of the subleading term extracted from the fit to the Monte Carlo data provides a prediction for the gravity side.

Black holes have been predicted to radiate particles and eventually evaporate, which has led to the information loss paradox and implies that the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics may be violated. Superstring theory, a consistent theory of quantum gravity, provides a possible solution to the paradox if evaporating black holes can actually be described in terms of standard quantum mechanical systems, as conjectured from the theory. Here, we test this conjecture by calculating the mass of a black hole in the corresponding quantum mechanical system numerically. Our results agree well with the prediction from gravity theory, including the leading quantum gravity correction. Our ability to simulate black holes offers the potential to further explore the yet mysterious nature of quantum gravity through well-established quantum mechanics.