The thermal-photon emission from strongly coupled gauge theories at finite temperature is calculated using holographic models for QCD in the Veneziano limit (V-QCD). The emission rates are then embedded in hydrodynamic simulations combined with prompt photons from hard scattering and the thermal photons from hadron gas to analyze the spectra and anisotropic flow of direct photons at RHIC and LHC. The results from different sources responsible for the thermal photons in QGP including the weakly coupled QGP (wQGP) from perturbative calculations, strongly coupled N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 super Yang-Mills (SYM) plasma (as a benchmark for reference), and Gubser’s phenomenological holographic model are then compared. It is found that the direct-photon spectra are enhanced in the strongly coupled scenario compared with the ones in the wQGP, especially at high momenta. Moreover, both the elliptic flow and triangular flow of direct photons are amplified at high momenta for V-QCD and the SYM plasma. The results are further compared with experimental observations.

Netherlands

Ioannis Iatrakis

Greece

France

Elias Kiritsis

Canada

Chun Shen

Japan

Di-Lun Yang

Holographic photon production in heavy ion collisions

We study the dependence of the chiral condensate on external magnetic field in the context of holographic QCD at large number of flavors. We consider a holographic QCD model where the flavor degrees of freedom fully backreact on the color dynamics. Perturbative QCD calculations have shown that B acts constructively on the chiral condensate, a phenomenon called “magnetic catalysis”. In contrast, recent lattice calculations show that, depending on the number of flavors and temperature, the magnetic field may also act destructively, which is called “inverse magnetic catalysis”. Here we show that the holographic theory is capable of both behaviors depending on the choice of parameters. For reasonable choice of the potentials entering the model we find qualitative agreement with the lattice expectations. Our results provide insight for the physical reasons behind the inverse magnetic catalysis. In particular, we argue that the backreaction of the flavors to the background geometry decatalyzes the condensate.

Umut Gürsoy

Matti Järvinen

Govert Nijs

Inverse magnetic catalysis from improved holographic QCD in the Veneziano limit

We consider a bottom-up holographic model of QCD at finite temperature T and magnetic field B, and study dependence of thermodynamics and CP-odd transport on these variables. As the magnetic field couples to the flavor sector only, one should take the Veneziano limit where the number of flavors and colors are large while their ratio is kept fixed. We investigate the corresponding holographic background in the approximation where the ratio of flavors to colors is finite but small. We demonstrate that B-dependence of the entropy of QCD is in qualitative agreement with the recent lattice studies. Finally we study the CP-odd transport properties of this system. In particular, we determine the Chern-Simons decay rate at finite B and T, that is an important ingredient in the Chiral Magnetic Effect.

Tara Drwenski

United States

Thermodynamics and CP-odd transport in holographic QCD with finite magnetic field

Axial charge imbalance is an essential ingredient in novel effects associated with chiral anomaly such as chiral magnetic effects (CME). In a non-Abelian plasma with chiral fermions, local axial charge can be generated a) by topological fluctuations which would create domains with non-zero winding number b) by conventional non-topological thermal fluctuations. We provide a holographic evaluations of medium’s response to dynamically generated axial charge density in hydrodynamic limit and examine if medium’s response depends on the microscopic origins of axial charge imbalance. We show a local domain with non-zero winding number would induce a non-dissipative axial current due to chiral anomaly. We illustrate holographically that a local axial charge imbalance would be damped out with the damping rate related to Chern-Simon diffusive constant. By computing chiral magnetic current in the presence of dynamically generated axial charge density, we found that the ratio of CME current over the axial charge density is independent of the origin of axial charge imbalance in low frequency and momentum limit. Finally, a stochastic hydrodynamic equation of the axial charge is formulated by including both types of fluctuations.

Shu Lin

Yi Yin

The anomalous transport of axial charge: topological vs non-topological fluctuations

We consider a holographic model of QCD in the Veneziano limit of a large number of colors N c and flavors N f but fixed x = N f /N c (V-QCD). The model exhibits a first order deconfined but chirally broken transition, followed by a second order chirally restored transition in the μ − T plane for a range of plausible holographic parameters. We study the quasi-normal mode spectrum, and derive the pertinent vector and axial spectral functions across the transition regions. The pole masses, susceptibilities, diffusion constants and electric conductivity are also discussed. In particular, the pole masses are found to survive the deconfining transition, to quickly dissolve in the the chirally restored phase by developing substantial widths. The flavor electric conductivities arise sharply in the transition region. The flavor susceptibility is shown to be consistent with the one derived from bulk thermodynamics.

Ismail Zahed

Spectral functions in V-QCD with matter: masses, susceptibilities, diffusion and conductivity