The Fluid Manifesto: Emergent symmetries, hydrodynamics, and black holes

TL;DR

This paper explores how relativistic fluid dynamics can be understood as an effective field theory emerging from quantum field theory formalisms, with implications for black hole physics.

Contribution

It proposes a novel framework linking fluid dynamics, topological sigma models, and non-equilibrium field theory, offering new insights into black hole phenomena.

Findings

Relates fluid dynamics to topological sigma models.

Suggests fluid dynamics as a Wilsonian effective field theory.

Highlights relevance to black hole physics.

Abstract

We focus on the question of how relativistic fluid dynamics should be thought of as a Wilsonian effective field theory emerging from Schwinger-Keldysh path integrals. Taking the basic principles of Schwinger-Keldysh formalism seriously, we are led to a series of remarkable statements and conjectures, which we phrase in terms of a broad programme relating relativistic fluid dynamics and topological sigma models. Apart from the intrinsic interest for these ideas from the non-equilibrium field theory viewpoint, we also emphasize its relevance to various fundamental questions in black hole physics.