Probing black hole phase transitions through quasi-periodic oscillations

A bstract In this work, we probe the well known thermodynamic phase structure of black hole through the lens of its quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs). Can QPOs be influenced by black hole phase transitions? Do they carry any signature of such transitions in their observational patterns? These were the central questions guiding our study. Using both RN AdS and Kerr black hole backgrounds across different QPO models, we analyzed the behavior of upper and lower QPO frequencies as functions of the Hawking temperature. Our results shows that QPO frequencies trace out distinct thermodynamic phases and also reflect their stability properties. As the black hole transitions between different thermodynamic phases, the trend of QPO frequencies with respect to temperature also shifts. Due to lack of observational data, the present work is primarily more on the mathematical side, as the underlying mechanism responsible for the Hawking temperature has not yet been fully understood or experimentally verified. Moreover, given the speculative nature of black hole phase transitions, it would be unfair to claim that our results establish a definitive connection between an observable quantity such as the QPO frequency and the thermodynamic phase behavior of black holes. Nevertheless, our analysis suggests a possibility that changes in black hole geometry could be one of the contributing factors influencing QPO behavior.