Lagrangian formulation and symmetrical description of liquid dynamics

Theoretical description of liquids has been primarily based on the hydrodynamic approach and its generalization to the solid-like regime. We show that the same liquid properties can be derived starting from solid-like equations and generalizing them to account for the hydrodynamic flow. Both approaches predict propagating shear waves with the notable gap in $k$-space. This gives an important symmetry of liquids regarding their description. We subsequently construct a two-field Lagrangian of liquid dynamics where the dissipative hydrodynamic and solid-like terms are treated on equal footing. The Lagrangian predicts two gapped waves propagating in opposite space-time directions. The dissipative and mass terms compete by promoting gaps in $k$-space and energy, respectively. When bare mass is close to the field hopping frequency, both gaps close and the dissipative term annihilates the bare mass.

K. Trachenko · 2017