Toward a holographic realization of the 2+1-flavor QCD phase structure

We present a fully back-reacted Einstein–Maxwell–Dilaton–flavor model with dynamical light and strange sectors, calibrated to lattice QCD using a machine-learning–assisted spectral method. The model reproduces the 2+1-flavor equation of state and chiral dynamics with quantitative accuracy, and maps the Columbia plot with a tri-critical point at $m_s^{\mathrm{t}\mathrm{r}\mathrm{i}}\simeq 21\text{ MeV}$ and a critical mass $m_c\simeq 0.785\text{ MeV}$, consistent with lattice results. At finite density, it yields a crossover-to-first-order transition and predicts a critical endpoint at $T_C=75.4\text{ MeV}$ and ${\mu }_C=768\text{ MeV}$, within the reach of heavy-ion experiments. These findings establish a unified holographic framework for the QCD phase structure across quark masses and baryon density, providing the first consistent and quantitative description of both deconfinement and chiral transitions within a single holographic model.