Coupling constant corrections in a holographic model of heavy ion collisions

TL;DR

This paper explores how leading-order inverse coupling corrections affect heavy ion collisions in a holographic model, revealing changes in stopping, energy deposition, and hydrodynamic evolution.

Contribution

It introduces the first analysis of coupling-dependent effects in holographic heavy ion collisions using curvature-squared gravity corrections.

Findings

Less nuclear stopping at intermediate coupling.

Increased shear viscosity by 80%.

Hydrodynamics onset delayed by 25%.

Abstract

We initiate a holographic study of coupling-dependent heavy ion collisions by analysing for the first time the effects of leading-order, inverse coupling constant corrections. In the dual description, this amounts to colliding gravitational shock waves in a theory with curvature-squared terms. We find that at intermediate coupling, nuclei experience less stopping and have more energy deposited near the lightcone. When the decreased coupling results in an 80% larger shear viscosity, the time at which hydrodynamics becomes a good description of the plasma created from high energy collisions increases by 25%. The hydrodynamic phase of the evolution starts with a wider rapidity profile and smaller entropy.