Violation of the third law of black hole thermodynamics in higher curvature gravity (Q406215)

Summary: We examine the weak version of the third law of black hole thermodynamics in the \(n\)-dimensional Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet system with a negative cosmological constant. To see whether the extreme black hole solution with zero temperature is formed, we investigate the motion of the thin shell that has the equal mass to the extreme black hole in the background described by the non-GR branch solutions. The interior of the shell is empty. Our analysis using the generalized Israel's junction condition shows that the shell can contract beyond a certain radius and the degenerate horizon is formed for same range of parameters. Hence, this model can be a counterexample of the third law.