Thermodynamics of Quasi Conformal Theories From Gauge/Gravity Duality

TL;DR

This paper employs gauge/gravity duality to analyze the thermodynamic phases of almost conformal theories, revealing phase transitions and the influence of beta functions without assuming a specific boundary theory.

Contribution

It introduces a general framework to study thermodynamics of quasi-conformal theories via their beta functions using gauge/gravity duality, covering multiple phases and phase transitions.

Findings

Identified three thermodynamic phases: high temperature, quasi-conformal, and confining.

Determined the nature of phase transitions as first order or continuous based on beta function parameters.

Explored the limit of theories with infrared fixed points where the coupling remains finite.

Abstract

We use gauge/gravity duality to study the thermodynamics of a generic almost conformal theory, specified by its beta function. Three different phases are identified, a high temperature phase of massless partons, an intermediate quasi-conformal phase and a low temperature confining phase. The limit of a theory with infrared fixed point, in which the coupling does not run to infinity, is also studied. The transitions between the phases are of first order or continuous, depending on the parameters of the beta function. The results presented follow from gauge/gravity duality; no specific boundary theory is assumed, only its beta function.