# EPS HEP 2015

22-29 July 2015
Europe/Vienna timezone

## Thermalization in a confining Gauge Theory at strong coupling

Jul 25, 2015, 10:00 AM
15m
HS32

### HS32

talk Non-Perturbative Field Theory and String Theory

### Speaker

Prof. Elias Kiritsis (University of Crete and APC)

### Description

Time-dependent perturbations of states in a 3+1 dimensional confining gauge theory are considered in the context of holography. The perturbations are induced by varying the gauge theory's coupling of a dimension three scalar operator in time. The dual gravitational theory belongs to a class of Einstein-dilaton theories which exhibit a mass gap at zero temperature and a first order deconfining phase transition at finite temperature. The perturbation is realized in various thermal bulk solutions by specifying time dependent boundary conditions on the scalar, and we solve the fully backreacted Einstein-dilaton equations of motion subject to these boundary conditions. We compute the characteristic time scale of many thermalization processes, noting that in every case we examine, this time scale is determined by the imaginary part of the lowest lying quasi-normal mode of the final state black brane. We quantify the dependence of this final state on parameters of the quench, and construct a dynamical phase diagram. Further support for a universal scaling regime in the abrupt quench limit is provided. The implications for the thermalization of the quark gluon plasma in heavy ion collisions are discussed

### Primary author

Prof. Elias Kiritsis (University of Crete and APC)

### Co-authors

Dr Christopher Rosen (University of Crete) Dr Takaaki Ishii (University of Crete)