Pion condensation in holographic QCD

TL;DR

This paper investigates pion condensation in a holographic QCD model at zero temperature, revealing a first-order phase transition and the condensate's properties near the phase boundary.

Contribution

It provides a novel holographic analysis of pion condensation, including phase transition order and the condensate's behavior at the boundary.

Findings

Transition is first order in most parameter regimes.

Condensate acts as a stiff medium near the phase boundary.

Approaches the Zel'dovich limit of equal energy density and pressure.

Abstract

We study pion condensation at zero temperature in a hard-wall holographic model of hadrons with isospin chemical potential. We find that the transition from the hadronic phase to the pion condensate phase is first order except in a certain limit of model parameters. Our analysis suggests that immediately across the phase boundary the condensate acts as a stiff medium approaching the Zel'dovich limit of equal energy density and pressure.