The Second Sound of SU(2)

Abstract

Using the AdS/CFT correspondence, we calculate the transport coefficients of a strongly interacting system with a non-abelian SU(2) global symmetry near a second order phase transition. From the behavior of the poles in the Green's functions near the phase transition, we determine analytically the speed of second sound, the conductivity, and diffusion constants. We discuss similarities and differences between this and other systems with vector order parameters such as p-wave superconductors and liquid helium-3.