Phase transitions and thermodynamic geometry of a Kerr-Newman black hole in a cavity

Being placed in a cavity is an effective way of reaching thermodynamic equilibrium for black holes. We investigate a Kerr-Newman black hole in a cavity as well as compare it with two reduced cases, i.e., a RN black hole in a cavity and a Kerr black hole in a cavity. We derive the quasi-local energy from the Hamiltonian, and construct the first law of thermodynamics accordingly. In a canonical ensemble, these black holes could undergo a van der Waals-like phase transition, which is very similar to that in AdS space. We further investigate the black holes’ thermodynamic geometry, which is a powerful tool to diagnose microscopic interactions of a thermodynamic system. Our results show that in a cavity, although phase structures of these black holes are similar, their thermodynamic geometry show strong dissimilarities, implying that the microstructure of a black hole is sensitive to its states.