Transgression Completion for Chern-Simons Black Hole Thermodynamics

Abstract

The quantum statistical relation, which identifies the thermodynamic free energy with the on-shell Euclidean action, is a cornerstone of black hole thermodynamics. In this Letter, we demonstrate that it fails for charged magnetic black holes in five-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell-Chern-Simons theory unless the action is formulated in a gauge-invariant manner. In particular, the free energy computed via the quantum statistical relation violates both the first law of thermodynamics and hydrodynamics. We identify the missing finite contribution---a nonlocal radial integral---whose inclusion restores exact thermodynamic consistency. Remarkably, this term is not an ad hoc correction: combined with the local Chern-Simons representative, it forms the transgression form, yielding a strictly gauge-invariant action. The correct action is therefore not the local Chern-Simons term alone but its transgression completion---a physical requirement rather than a mere mathematical refinement. The same mechanism persists for helical, rotating, scalarized, higher-derivative, and higher-dimensional black holes. Our work establishes that topological interactions can fundamentally alter the relation between the Euclidean action and the thermodynamic potential and identifies the gauge-invariant transgression form as the correct framework for black hole thermodynamics in Chern-Simons-coupled theories.

Major revision: title changed; manuscript reformulated with new results, including physical interpretation and extended universality analysis