Thermodynamics of polarized relativistic matter

• Published in: The journal of high energy physics Vol. 2016; no. 7; pp. 1 - 25
• Main Author: Kovtun, Pavel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.07.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Classical and Quantum Gravitation; Derivation; Electromagnetic fields; Elementary Particles; Free energy; High energy physics; Mathematical analysis; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Polarization; Quantum Field Theories; Quantum Field Theory; Quantum Physics; Regular Article - Theoretical Physics; Relativity Theory; String Theory; Surface charge; Tensors; Vectors (mathematics); Holography and quark-gluon plasmas; Thermal Field Theory
• ISSN: 1029-8479; 1029-8479
• DOI: 10.1007/JHEP07(2016)028

A bstract We give the free energy of equilibrium relativistic matter subject to external gravitational and electromagnetic fields, to one-derivative order in the gradients of the external fields. The free energy allows for a straightforward derivation of bound currents and bound momenta in equilibrium. At leading order, the energy-momentum tensor admits a simple expression in terms of the polarization tensor. Beyond the leading order, electric and magnetic polarization vectors are intrinsically ambiguous. The physical effects of polarization, such as the correlation between the magneto-vortically induced surface charge and the electro-vortically induced surface current, are not ambiguous.