First order non-Lorentzian fluids, entropy production and linear instabilities

TL;DR

This paper explores linear instabilities in first order hydrodynamics across different symmetry frameworks, revealing that such instabilities are common and not exclusive to Lorentzian fluids, thus questioning their physical validity.

Contribution

The study extends the analysis of hydrodynamic instabilities to Galilean and Carrollian fluids, showing that instabilities are widespread and not unique to relativistic cases, and provides a comprehensive linearized spectrum analysis.

Findings

Instabilities occur in all cases except Galilean with Eckart frame.

Unphysical instabilities are not exclusive to Lorentzian fluids.

Instabilities can occur even without boost symmetry.

Abstract

In this note, we investigate linear instabilities of hydrodynamics with corrections up to first order in derivatives. It has long been known that relativistic (Lorentzian) first order hydrodynamics, with positive local entropy production, exhibits unphysical instabilities. We extend this analysis to fluids with Galilean and Carrollian boost symmetries. We find that the instabilities occur in all cases, except for fluids with Galilean boost symmetry combined with the choice of macroscopic variables called Eckart frame. We also present a complete linearised analysis of the full spectrum of first order Carrollian hydrodynamics. Furthermore, we show that even in a fluid without boost symmetry present, instabilities can occur. These results provide evidence that the unphysical instabilities are symptoms of first order hydrodynamics, rather than a special feature of Lorentzian fluids.