The holographic spectral function in non-equilibrium states

Feb, 2012
43 pages
Published in:
  • Phys.Rev.D 85 (2012) 106009
e-Print:

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Abstract: (arXiv)
We develop holographic prescriptions for obtaining spectral functions in non-equilibrium states and space-time dependent non-equilibrium shifts in the energy and spin of quasi-particle like excitations. We reproduce strongly coupled versions of aspects of non-equilibrium dynamics of Fermi surfaces in Landau's Fermi-liquid theory. We find that the incoming wave boundary condition at the horizon does not suffice to obtain a well-defined perturbative expansion for non-equilibrium observables. Our prescription, based on analysis of regularity at the horizon, allows such a perturbative expansion to be achieved nevertheless and can be precisely formulated in a universal manner independent of the non-equilibrium state, provided the state thermalizes. We also find that the non-equilibrium spectral function furnishes information about the relaxation modes of the system. Along the way, we argue that in a typical non-supersymmetric theory with a gravity dual, there may exist a window of temperature and chemical potential at large N, in which a generic non-equilibrium state can be characterized by just a finitely few operators with low scaling dimensions, even far away from the hydrodynamic limit.
Note:
  • revtex/ 43 pages, 2 figures/ typos corrected, accepted for publication in PRD
  • 71.27.+a
  • 11.25.Tq
  • 25.75.Gz
  • 04.20.Cv
  • potential: chemical
  • spectral representation
  • holography
  • boundary condition
  • quasiparticle
  • hydrodynamics