Complexified boost invariance and holographic heavy ion collisions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a complexified boost invariance approach in holographic models of heavy ion collisions, resulting in improved agreement with numerical simulations and providing an analytic description of longitudinal dynamics.

Contribution

It proposes a novel complex shift in boost invariance that enhances the analytic understanding of holographic heavy ion collision dynamics.

Findings

Good agreement with numerical holographic results

Enhanced accuracy with perturbations included

Analytic formulation of longitudinal stress-energy tensor

Abstract

At strong coupling holographic studies have shown that heavy ion collisions do not obey normal boost invariance. Here we study a modified boost invariance through a complex shift in time, and show that this leads to surprisingly good agreement with numerical holographic computations. When including perturbations the agreement becomes even better, both in the hydrodynamic and the far-from-equilibrium regime. One of the main advantages is an analytic formulation of the stress-energy tensor of the longitudinal dynamics of holographic heavy ion collisions.