From AdS/CFT correspondence to hydrodynamics

TL;DR

This paper uses the AdS/CFT correspondence to compute correlation functions in a strongly coupled gauge theory, demonstrating their hydrodynamic behavior and deriving transport coefficients like diffusion constant and shear viscosity.

Contribution

It applies a Minkowskian AdS/CFT prescription to calculate real-time correlators, providing new insights into hydrodynamics in strongly coupled theories.

Findings

Correlation functions exhibit hydrodynamic form at long distances and low frequencies.

Calculated R-charge diffusion constant consistent with previous results.

Derived shear viscosity matches earlier Kubo formula calculations.

Abstract

We compute the correlation functions of R-charge currents and components of the stress-energy tensor in the strongly coupled large-N finite-temperature N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory, following a recently formulated Minkowskian AdS/CFT prescription. We observe that in the long-distance, low-frequency limit, such correlators have the form dictated by hydrodynamics. We deduce from the calculations the R-charge diffusion constant and the shear viscosity. The value for the latter is in agreement with an earlier calculation based on the Kubo formula and absorption by black branes.