Choptuik Scaling and Quasinormal Modes in the AdS/CFT Correspondence

We establish an exact connection between the Choptuik scaling parameter for the three-dimensional BTZ black hole, and the imaginary part of the quasinormal frequencies for scalar perturbations. Via the AdS/CFT correspondence, this leads to an interpretation of Choptuik scaling in terms of the timescale for return to equilibrium of the dual conformal field theory.