English

Ramp, Plateau, and Wormholes without Averaging, and Hyper-non-perturbative Structures in Gravity

High Energy Physics - Theory 2026-08-03 v1 General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology Mathematical Physics Chaotic Dynamics Quantum Physics

Abstract

Universal hallmarks of quantum chaos---such as the ramp and plateau in the spectral form factor---and the ramp's gravitational duals involving wormholes are widely interpreted as consequences of spectral or ensemble averaging. In this paper, following an earlier proposal of~\cite{Liu25c}, we develop an alternative approach: these phenomena arise as macroscopic smooth structures hidden within erratic microscopic data, which can be isolated through a smooth filter projection. Using the semiclassical Gutzwiller trace formula as a paradigmatic example, we illustrate how many features characteristic of random matrix models---including the ramp, the plateau, the spectral curve, and single-eigenvalue instantons---can be derived in the semiclassical limit without invoking ensemble or explicit spectral averages. We postulate the existence of a minimal Gutzwiller-like structure in the large-NN limit of holographic systems and explore its consequences. Beyond deriving the ramp and the plateau, this Gutzwiller-like structure predicts universal rapid macroscopic oscillations in the density of states and the possible existence of hyper-instantons, both of which involve double exponentials in 1/N21/N^2. On the gravity side, we demonstrate how spacetime wormholes enable the construction of emergent hyper-non-perturbative objects---such as baby-universe and wormhole condensates---which yield double exponential effects in GNG_N. This mirrors the postulated boundary Gutzwiller-like structure and provides a dual gravitational derivation of the universal rapid macroscopic oscillations in the density of states and the spectral plateau.

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Cite

@article{arxiv.2608.02743,
  title  = {Ramp, Plateau, and Wormholes without Averaging, and Hyper-non-perturbative Structures in Gravity},
  author = {Hong Liu},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2608.02743},
  year   = {2026}
}

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95 pages