Domain Collisions

TL;DR

This paper uses holography to analyze how phase domains in a strongly-coupled gauge theory collide under different velocities, revealing three distinct dynamical regimes and their effects on entropy evolution.

Contribution

It introduces a holographic approach to study phase domain collisions in a gauge theory, identifying three regimes based on collision velocity and their dynamical characteristics.

Findings

Low velocity domains slow down and merge, then relax.

Intermediate velocities show direct merging without slowing.

High velocities cause multiple collisions before merging.

Abstract

We use holography to study collisions of phase domains formed in a four-dimensional, strongly-coupled gauge theory with a first-order, thermal phase transition. We find three qualitatively different dynamical regimes depending on the collision velocity. For low velocities the domains slow down before the collision and subsequently merge and relax to equilibrium. For intermediate velocities no slow down is present before the merger. For high enough velocities the domains can collide and break apart several times before they finally merge. These features leave an imprint on the time evolution of the entropy of the system, which we compute from the area of the dual horizon on the gravity side.