Flavor-Dependent QCD Critical Endpoint and Dual-Channel Fluctuations from Multi-Charge Holography

Abstract

We construct a thermodynamically self-consistent holographic QCD framework incorporating multiple conserved charges. By introducing three independent bulk $U(1)$ gauge fields, our Einstein-Maxwells-dilaton (EMsD) model naturally accommodates the coupled chemical potential landscape $(μ_B, μ_Q, μ_S)$ inherent to realistic heavy-ion collisions. Crucially, thermodynamic consistency is enforced at the level of holographic renormalization, ensuring exact Maxwell cross-derivative relations without ad hoc patching. Calibrated exclusively at zero density, the model exhibits genuine predictive power for finite-density thermodynamics. We reveal that finite charge and strangeness densities induce pronounced nonmonotonic shifts in the critical endpoint (CEP) location. Furthermore, by mapping the freeze-out trajectories, we demonstrate that the allowed parameter bands robustly encompass empirical hadron resonance gas (HRG) fits. Within this physical regime, higher-order cumulant ratios for both net-baryon and net-charge channels exhibit coherent critical peaks at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} \approx 5\text{--}7\,\text{GeV}$. This hierarchical dual-channel signature provides a decisive, background-free strategy for the ongoing experimental search for the QCD critical point.