We investigate the thermodynamics of Gauss–Bonnet black holes in asymptotically de Sitter spacetimes embedded in an isothermal cavity, via a Euclidean action approach. We consider both charged and uncharged black holes, working in the extended phase space where the cosmological constant is treated as a thermodynamic pressure. We examine the phase structure of these black holes through their free energy. In the uncharged case, we find both Hawking-Page and small-to-large black hole phase transitions, whose character depends on the sign of the Gauss-Bonnet coupling. In the charged case, we demonstrate the presence of a swallowtube, signaling a compact region in phase space where a small-to-large black hole transition occurs.

• Received 14 February 2020
• Accepted 6 April 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.101.084051