title: Thermalization of strongly coupled field theories.
abstract: Using the holographic mapping to a gravity dual, we calculate 2-point functions, Wilson loops, and entanglement entropy in strongly coupled field theories in d=2, 3, and 4 to probe the scale dependence of thermalization following a sudden injection of energy. For homogeneous initial conditions, the entanglement entropy thermalizes slowest and sets a time scale for equilibration that saturates a causality bound. The growth rate of entanglement entropy density is nearly volume-independent for small volumes but slows for larger volumes. In this setting, the UV thermalizes first.
authors.affiliation: David Rittenhouse Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Balasubramanian
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bernamonti
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Boer
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Copland
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Craps
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Keski-Vakkuri
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schäfer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shigemori
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Staessens