On the relevance of GIKS instability of charged N=4 SYM plasma

TL;DR

This paper investigates the stability of ${ m N}=4$ SYM plasma with $R$-symmetry chemical potential, revealing a new GIKS instability and its relation to superconducting instability, with implications for plasma phase structure.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the GIKS instability exists in ${ m N}=4$ SYM plasma and compares its critical temperature to that of the superconducting instability.

Findings

GIKS instability occurs at a higher critical temperature than superconducting instability.

Superconducting instability is confirmed but less dominant.

GIKS instability impacts the phase diagram of ${ m N}=4$ SYM plasma.

Abstract

Recently Gladden, Ivo, Kovtun, and Starinets (GIKS) identified a novel instability of ${\cal N}=4$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills plasma with a diagonal $U(1)$ $R$-symmetry chemical potential. Since ${\cal N}=4$ SYM plasma has $R$-charged matter fields, it might suffer from the standard superconducting instability. We show that while the superconducting instability is indeed present, it happens at a lower critical temperature compare to that of the GIKS instability.