Fluid-gravity correspondence in the scalar-tensor theory of gravity: (in)equivalence of Einstein and Jordan frames

Abstract: The duality of gravitational dynamics (projected on a null hypersurface) and of fluid dynamics is investigated for the scalar tensor (ST) theory of gravity. The description of ST gravity, in both Einstein and Jordan frames, is analyzed from fluid-gravity viewpoint. In the Einstein frame the dynamical equation for the metric leads to the Damour-Navier-Stokes (DNS) equation with an external forcing term, coming from the scalar field in ST gravity. In the Jordan frame the situation is more subtle. We observe that finding the DNS equation in this frame can lead to two pictures. In one picture, the usual DNS equation is modified by a Coriolis-like force term, which originates completely from the presence of a non-minimally coupled scalar field ($\phi$) on the gravity side. Moreover, the identified fluid variables are no longer conformally equivalent with those in the Einstein frame. However, this picture is consistent with the saturation of Kovtun-Son-Starinets (KSS) bound. In the other picture, we find the standard DNS equation (i.e. without the Coriolis-like force), with the fluid variables conformally equivalent with those in Einstein frame. But, the second picture, may not agree with the KSS bound for some values of $\phi$. We conclude by rewriting the Raychaudhuri equation and the tidal force equation in terms of the relevant parameters to demonstrate how the expansion scalar and the shear-tensor evolve in the spacetime. Although, the area law of entropy is broken in ST gravity, we show that the rewritten form of Raychaudhuri's equation correctly results in the generalized second law of black hole thermodynamics.