Einstein-scalar field solutions in AdS spacetime: clouds, boundary conditions, and scalar multipoles

Abstract

Abstract We consider an Einstein-scalar field model which is a consistent truncation of $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 8 D = 4 gauged supergravity, the scalar field possessing a potential which is unbounded from below and a tachyonic mass above the Breitenlohner-Freedman bound. We investigate the spherically symmetric asymptotically anti-de Sitter soliton and black hole solutions, with the aim of clarifying the asymptotics and the possible boundary conditions at infinity. The emerging picture is contrasted with that found for an Einstein-scalar field model with the same scalar mass and a quartic selfinteraction term. We also provide arguments for the existence of solitonic solutions which can be viewed as non-linear continuation of the (probe) scalar multipolar clouds, with emphasis on the dipole case. Apart from numerical results, exact solutions are found for solitons with a monopole and dipole scalar field, as perturbations around the AdS background.