Euclidean thermodynamics and Lyapunov exponents of Einstein–Power–Yang–Mills AdS black holes

Abstract We study the thermodynamics of Einstein–Power–Yang–Mills AdS black holes via the Euclidean path integral method, incorporating appropriate boundary and counterterms. By analyzing unstable timelike and null circular geodesics, we demonstrate that their Lyapunov exponents reflect the thermodynamic phase structure obtained from the Euclidean action. Specifically, the small-large black hole phase transition, analogous to a van der Waals fluid, is signaled by a discontinuity in the Lyapunov exponent. Treating this discontinuity as an order parameter, we observe a universal critical exponent of 1/2, consistent with mean-field theory. These results extend previous insights from black hole spacetimes with Abelian charges to scenarios involving nonlinear, non-Abelian gauge fields, highlighting the interplay between black hole thermodynamics and chaotic dynamics.