English

Heavy ions and string theory

High Energy Physics - Theory 2014-03-05 v2 Nuclear Theory

Abstract

We review a selection of recent developments in the application of ideas of string theory to heavy ion physics. Our topics divide naturally into equilibrium and non-equilibrium phenomena. On the non-equilibrium side, we discuss generalizations of Bjorken flow, numerical simulations of black hole formation in asymptotically anti-de Sitter geometries, equilibration in the dual field theory, and hard probes. On the equilibrium side, we summarize improved holographic QCD, extraction of transport coefficients, inclusion of chemical potentials, and approaches to the phase diagram. We close with some possible directions for future research.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1304.7794,
  title  = {Heavy ions and string theory},
  author = {Oliver DeWolfe and Steven S. Gubser and Christopher Rosen and Derek Teaney},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1304.7794},
  year   = {2014}
}

Comments

82 pages, 27 figures. v2: References updated

R2 v1 2026-06-22T00:08:24.145Z