Relativistic fluid dynamics in a 'hydro' frame

Abstract

In this letter, we investigate how field redefinition influences the spectrum of linearized perturbations in relativistic fluid dynamics. We show that the hydrodynamic modes do not get affected under local field redefinition, whereas the non-hydrodynamic modes do. These non-hydrodynamic modes can be removed through a suitable all-order field redefinition. This process leads to a new frame containing only hydrodynamic modes, which we refer to as the hydro frame. Additionally, we demonstrate that the resulting stress-energy tensor may constitute an infinite series in momentum space, with the radius of convergence associated with the removed non-hydrodynamic mode, highlighting its role in the hydrodynamic expansion's validity.