Global Currents, Phase Transitions, and Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Large N_c Gauge Theory

TL;DR

This paper investigates the finite temperature behavior of large N_c gauge theories with fundamental quarks using holography, revealing a first order phase transition influenced by R-charge and quark mass.

Contribution

It introduces a holographic model to study phase transitions in large N_c gauge theories with R-charge, extending understanding of chiral symmetry breaking and phase structure.

Findings

Identifies a first order phase transition with a discontinuous quark condensate.

Shows the effect of R-charge on the phase structure of the gauge theory.

Uses holography with spinning D3-branes and D7-brane probes to analyze dynamics.

Abstract

We study, using a gravity dual, the finite temperature dynamics of $SU(N_c)$ gauge theory for large $N_c$, with fundamental quark flavours in a quenched approximation, in the presence of a fixed R--charge under a global R--current. We observe several notable phenomena. There is a first order phase transition where the quark condensate jumps discontinuously at finite quark mass, generalizing similar transitions seen at zero charge. Our tool in these studies is holography, the string dual of the gauge theory being the geometry of $N_c$ spinning D3--branes at finite temperature, probed by a D7--brane.