Moving black branes and Lifshitz hydrodynamics at generic z
Larus Thorlacius
Abstract:
Quantum critical fluids with Lifshitz symmetry, or Lifshitz fluids for short, have interesting properties
that set them aside from more conventional fluid systems. In particular, a Lifshitz fluid with a generic
dynamical critical exponent z > 1 does not have boost symmetry meaning that a moving fluid is
physically distinct from a fluid at rest in a moving coordinate frame. We show how a relatively
simple Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton model provides a concrete holographic realisation of Lifshitz fluids.
In this setting, a black brane at generic z carrying linear momentum along the boundary corresponds
to a non-equilibrium steady state of the fluid. We obtain the stress tensor complex for the dual field
theory via a suitably defined holographic renormalisation procedure and demonstrate that the
expected hydrodynamic relations for a Lifshitz perfect fluid are satisfied.
