Inhomogeneous holographic thermalization

The sudden injection of energy in a strongly coupled conformal Feld theory and its subsequent thermalization can be holographically modeled by a shell falling into anti-de Sitter space and forming a black brane. For a homogeneous shell, Bhattacharyya and Minwalla were able to study this process analytically using a weak Field approximation. Motivated by event-by-event uctuations in heavy ion collisions, we include inhomogeneities in this model, obtaining analytic results in a long wavelength expansion. In the early-time window in which our approximations can be trusted, the resulting evolution matches wellwith that of a simple free streaming model. Near the end of this time window, we Find that the stress tensor approaches that of second-order viscous hydrodynamics. We comment on possible lessons for heavy ion phenomenology. © SISSA 2013.

Duke Scholars

Author Berndt Mueller Physics