We use the gauge/gravity duality to investigate various properties of strongly coupled gauge theories, which we interpret as models for the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). In particular, we use variants of the D3/D7 setup as an implementation of the top-down approach of connecting string theory with phenomenologically relevant gauge theories. We focus on the effects of finite temperature and finite density on fundamental matter in the holographic quark-gluon plasma, which we model as theN=2hypermultiplet in addition to theN=4gauge multiplet of supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. We use a setup in which we can describe the holographic plasma at finite temperature and either baryon or isospin density and investigate the properties of the system from three different viewpoints. (i) We study meson spectra. Our observations at finite temperature and particle density are in qualitative agreement with phenomenological models and experimental observations. They agree with previous publications in the according limits. (ii) We study the temperature and density dependence of transport properties of fundamental matter in the QGP. In particular, we obtain diffusion coefficients. Furthermore, in a kinetic model we estimate the effects of the coupling strength on meson diffusion and therewith equilibration processes in the QGP. (iii) We observe the effects of finite temperature and density on the phase structure of fundamental matter in the holographic QGP. We trace out the phase transition lines of different phases in the phase diagram.
Gauge-gravity duality -- super Yang-Mills quantum mechanics