Thermodynamics and dynamics of coupled complex SYK models

Abstract It has been known that the large- q complex Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model falls under the same universality class as that of van der Waals (mean-field) and saturates the Maldacena-Shenker-Stanford (MSS) bound, both features shared by various black holes. This makes the SYK model a useful tool in probing the fundamental nature of quantum chaos and holographic duality. This work establishes the robustness of this shared universality class and chaotic properties for SYK-like models by extending to a system of coupled large- q complex SYK models of different orders. We provide a detailed derivation of thermodynamic properties, specifically the critical exponents for an observed phase transition, as well as dynamical properties, in particular the Lyapunov exponent, via the out-of-time correlator calculations. Our analysis reveals that, despite the introduction of an additional scaling parameter through interaction strength ratios, the system undergoes a continuous phase transition at low temperatures, similar to that of the single SYK model. The critical exponents align with the Landau–Ginzburg (mean-field) universality class, shared with van der Waals gases and various AdS black holes. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the coupled SYK system remains maximally chaotic in the large- q limit at low temperatures, adhering to the MSS bound, a feature consistent with the single SYK model. These findings establish robustness and open avenues for broader inquiries into the universality and chaos in complex quantum systems. We provide a detailed outlook for future work by considering the ‘very’ low-temperature regime, where we discuss relations with the Hawking–Page phase transition observed in the holographic dual black holes. We present preliminary calculations and discuss the possible follow-ups that might be taken to make the connection robust.