Non-Linear Dynamics and Critical Phenomena in the Aretakis Instability of Extremal Black p-Branes

Abstract

We present the first comprehensive investigation of the non-linear evolution of the Aretakis instability in extremal black $p$-branes. Building on recent insights into the linear behavior of perturbations in near-horizon AdS$_{p+2} \times S^{D-p-2}$ geometries, we explore the full non-linear regime using a combination of analytical scaling arguments and numerical simulations. We uncover a universal critical behavior governed by scaling exponents that depend only on the spacetime dimension $D$ and the brane worldvolume dimension $p$. Near the threshold of instability, the system exhibits power-law evolution toward dynamically generated extremal attractors, while supercritical perturbations lead to singular growth. Through the AdS/CFT correspondence, we compute entanglement entropy, correlation functions, spectral densities, and out-of-time-ordered correlators in the dual field theory, finding universal scaling across all observables. These results establish a deep connection between geometric instability in the bulk and quantum information dynamics on the boundary. The emergence of universal scaling and phase transitions in extremal geometries suggests that non-linear Aretakis dynamics may serve as a general framework for studying holographic criticality and late-time behavior in strongly coupled systems.