Holographic Equilibration of Nonrelativistic Plasmas

Abstract

We study far-from-equilibrium physics of strongly interacting plasmas at criticality and zero charge density for a wide range of dynamical scaling exponents z in d dimensions using holographic methods. In particular, we consider homogeneous isotropization of asymptotically Lifshitz black branes with full backreaction. We find stable evolution and equilibration times that exhibit small dependence of z and are of the order of the inverse temperature. Performing a quasinormal mode analysis, we find a corresponding narrow range of relaxation times, fully characterized by the fraction z/(d−1). For z≥d−1, equilibration is overdamped, whereas for z<d−1, we find oscillatory behavior. Finally, and most interestingly, we observe that also the nonlinear evolution, although differing significantly from a quasinormal mode fit, is to a high degree of precision characterized by the fraction z/(d−1).