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Jet Quenching in Anisotropic Holographic QCD: Probing Phase Transitions and Critical Regions

Pavel Slepov

TL;DR

This work investigates jet quenching in an anisotropic holographic QCD framework to probe phase transitions. It develops a general analytical formulation for the orientation-dependent jet quenching parameter $\hat{q}$ via a lightlike Wilson loop, expressed through horizon integrals and functions of the anisotropic background, and demonstrates that $\hat{q}$ can experience discontinuities at first-order transitions. Extending to numerical studies, the authors implement an Einstein–dilaton–three-Maxwell model with temperature, chemical potential, magnetic field, and anisotropy to compute $\hat{q}$ for heavy and light quarks, finding consistent orientation-dependent jumps at the BB transition. The results illuminate how anisotropy and external fields shape energy loss in the quark-gluon plasma and suggest future work to unify heavy and light quark sectors within a single warp-factor framework for a fuller phase-structure map.

Abstract

The jet quenching phenomenon in an anisotropic quark-gluon plasma is studied using gauge-gravity duality. We consider a more general orientation of the contour of a lightlike Wilson loop in the boundary field theory. The Nambu-Goto action for a two-dimensional worldsheet, whose boundary is this contour, is evaluated in a five-dimensional bulk. We present the dependence of the jet quenching parameter on the orientation. Discontinuities of the jet quenching parameter occur at a first-order phase transition, and their magnitude depends on the orientation. These dependencies are observed in holographic models for both light and heavy quarks with nonzero temperature, chemical potential, magnetic field, and spatial anisotropy, supported by an Einstein-dilaton-three-Maxwell action.

Jet Quenching in Anisotropic Holographic QCD: Probing Phase Transitions and Critical Regions

TL;DR

This work investigates jet quenching in an anisotropic holographic QCD framework to probe phase transitions. It develops a general analytical formulation for the orientation-dependent jet quenching parameter via a lightlike Wilson loop, expressed through horizon integrals and functions of the anisotropic background, and demonstrates that can experience discontinuities at first-order transitions. Extending to numerical studies, the authors implement an Einstein–dilaton–three-Maxwell model with temperature, chemical potential, magnetic field, and anisotropy to compute for heavy and light quarks, finding consistent orientation-dependent jumps at the BB transition. The results illuminate how anisotropy and external fields shape energy loss in the quark-gluon plasma and suggest future work to unify heavy and light quark sectors within a single warp-factor framework for a fuller phase-structure map.

Abstract

The jet quenching phenomenon in an anisotropic quark-gluon plasma is studied using gauge-gravity duality. We consider a more general orientation of the contour of a lightlike Wilson loop in the boundary field theory. The Nambu-Goto action for a two-dimensional worldsheet, whose boundary is this contour, is evaluated in a five-dimensional bulk. We present the dependence of the jet quenching parameter on the orientation. Discontinuities of the jet quenching parameter occur at a first-order phase transition, and their magnitude depends on the orientation. These dependencies are observed in holographic models for both light and heavy quarks with nonzero temperature, chemical potential, magnetic field, and spatial anisotropy, supported by an Einstein-dilaton-three-Maxwell action.
Paper Structure (6 sections, 34 equations, 3 figures)

This paper contains 6 sections, 34 equations, 3 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Jet quenching for arbitrary orientation in anisotropic background: analytical formula
  3. Jet quenching in anisotropic holographic model for heavy and light quarks: numerical results
  4. The anisotropic holographic model for heavy and light quarks
  5. Numerical results
  6. Conclusion

Figures (3)

  • Figure 1: A) The Wilson loop contour and the worldsheet. B) The profile of the string configuration along the horizon.
  • Figure 2: A) The dependence of the JQ parameter on the temperature for different orientation $\theta = 0, \pi/6, \pi/4, \pi/3, \pi/2$ for $\mu=1$, $\nu=4.5$ and $c_B=-0.05$ in heavy quarks model. B) The zoom view of (A).
  • Figure 3: A) The dependence of the JQ parameter on the temperature for different orientation $\theta = 0, \pi/6, \pi/4, \pi/3, \pi/2$ for $\mu=0.4$, $\nu=4.5$ and $c_B=-0.05$ in heavy quarks model. The light magenta line is a jump for the JQ parameter. B) The zoom view of the lower part of (A) near the jump. C) The zoom view of the top part of (A) near the jump.