Correlation functions in stable first-order relativistic hydrodynamics

Abstract

First-order relativistic conformal hydrodynamics in a general (hydrodynamic) frame is characterized by a shear viscosity coefficient and two UV-regulator parameters. Within a certain range of these parameters, the equilibrium is stable and propagation is causal. In this work we study the correlation functions of fluctuations in this theory. We first compute hydrodynamic correlation functions in the linear response regime. Then we use the linear response results to explore the analytical structure of response functions beyond the linear response. A method is developed to numerically calculate the branch-cut structure from the well-known Landau equations. We apply our method to the shear channel and find the branch cuts of a certain response function, without computing the response function itself. We then solve the Landau equations analytically and find the threshold singularities of the same response function. Using these results, we achieve the leading singularity in momentum space, by which, we find the long-time tail of the correlation function. The results turn out to be in complete agreement with the loop calculations in effective field theory. Published by the American Physical Society 2024