Matthew Headrick

Entanglement Renyi entropies in holographic theories

Ryu and Takayanagi conjectured a formula for the entanglement (von Neumann) entropy of an arbitrary spatial region in an arbitrary holographic eld theory. The von Neumann entropy is a special case of a more general class of entropies called R enyi entropies. Using Euclidean gravity, Fursaev computed the entanglement R enyi entropies (EREs) of an arbitrary spatial region in an arbitrary holographic eld theory, and thereby derived the RT formula. We point out, however, that his EREs are incorrect, since his putative saddle points do not in fact solve the Einstein equation. We remedy this situation in the case of two-dimensional CFTs, considering regions consisting of one or two intervals. For a single interval, the EREs are known for a general CFT; we reproduce them using gravity. For two intervals, the RT formula predicts a phase transition in the entanglement entropy as a function of their separation, and that the mutual information between the intervals vanishes for separations larger than the phase transition point. By computing EREs using gravity and CFT techniques, we nd evidence supporting both predictions. We also nd evidence that large-N symmetric-product theories have the same EREs as holographic ones.

Holographic proof of the strong subadditivity of entanglement entropy

When a quantum system is divided into subsystems, their entanglement entropies are subject to an inequality known as strong subadditivity. For a field theory this inequality can be stated as follows: given any two regions of space A and B, S(A)+S(B){>=}S(A cup B)+S(A intersection B). Recently, a method has been found for computing entanglement entropies in any field theory for which there is a holographically dual gravity theory. We give a simple geometrical proof of strong subadditivity employing this holographic prescription.

Causality & holographic entanglement entropy

A bstractWe identify conditions for the entanglement entropy as a function of spatial region to be compatible with causality in an arbitrary relativistic quantum field theory. We then prove that the covariant holographic entanglement entropy prescription (which relates entanglement entropy of a given spatial region on the boundary to the area of a certain extremal surface in the bulk) obeys these conditions, as long as the bulk obeys the null energy condition. While necessary for the validity of the prescription, this consistency requirement is quite nontrivial from the bulk standpoint, and therefore provides important additional evidence for the prescription. In the process, we introduce a codimension-zero bulk region, named the entanglement wedge, naturally associated with the given boundary spatial region. We propose that the entanglement wedge is the most natural bulk region corresponding to the boundary reduced density matrix.

A new approach to static numerical relativity and its application to Kaluza–Klein black holes

We propose a framework for solving the Einstein equation for static and Euclidean metrics. First, we address the issue of gauge-fixing by borrowing from the Ricci-flow literature the so-called DeTurck trick, which renders the Einstein equation strictly elliptic and generalizes the usual harmonic-coordinate gauge. We then study two algorithms, Ricci-flow and Newtons method, for solving the resulting Einstein–DeTurck equation. We illustrate the use of these methods by studying localized black holes and non-uniform black strings in five-dimensional Kaluza–Klein theory, improving on previous calculations of their thermodynamic and geometric properties. We study spectra of various operators for these solutions, in particular finding the negative modes of the Lichnerowicz operator. We classify the localized solutions into two branches that meet at a minimum temperature. We find good evidence for a merger between the localized and non-uniform solutions. We also find a narrow window of localized solutions that possess negative modes yet have positive specific heat.

Holographic Mutual Information is Monogamous

We identify a special information-theoretic property of quantum field theories with holographic duals: the mutual informations among arbitrary disjoint spatial regions A,B,C obey the inequality I(A:BC) >= I(A:B)+I(A:C), provided entanglement entropies are given by the Ryu-Takayanagi formula. Inequalities of this type are known as monogamy relations and are characteristic of measures of quantum entanglement. This suggests that correlations in holographic theories arise primarily from entanglement rather than classical correlations. We also show that the Ryu-Takayanagi formula is consistent with all known general inequalities obeyed by the entanglement entropy, including an infinite set recently discovered by Cadney, Linden, and Winter; this constitutes strong evidence in favour of its validity.

Closed string tachyon condensation on twisted circles

We study IIA/B string theory compactified on twisted circles. These models possess closed string tachyons and reduce to type-0B/A theory in a special limit. Using methods of gauged linear sigma models and mirror symmetry we construct a conformal field theory which interpolates between these models and flat space via an auxiliary Liouville direction. Interpreting motion in the Liouville direction as renormalization group flow, we argue that the end point of tachyon condensation in all these models (including 0B/A theory) is supersymmetric type-II theory. We also find a zero-slope limit of these models which is best described in a T-dual picture as a type-II NS-NS fluxbrane. In this limit tachyon condensation is an interesting and well posed problem in supergravity. We explicitly determine the tachyon as a fluctuation of supergravity fields, and perform a rudimentary numerical analysis of the relevant flows.

Strong subadditivity and the covariant holographic entanglement entropy formula

A bstractHeadrick and Takayanagi showed that the Ryu-Takayanagi holographic entanglement entropy formula generally obeys the strong subadditivity (SSA) inequality, a fundamental property of entropy. However, the Ryu-Takayanagi formula only applies when the bulk spacetime is static. It is not known whether the covariant generalization proposed by Hubeny, Rangamani, and Takayanagi (HRT) also obeys SSA. We investigate this question in three-dimensional AdS-Vaidya spacetimes, finding that SSA is obeyed as long as the bulk spacetime satisfies the null energy condition. This provides strong support for the validity of the HRT formula.

Spacetime energy decreases under world-sheet RG Flow

We study renormalization group flows in unitary two dimensional sigma models with asymptotically flat target spaces. Applying an infrared cutoff to the target space, we use the Zamolodchikov c-theorem to demonstrate that the target space ADM energy of the UV fixed point is greater than that of the IR fixed point: spacetime energy decreases under world-sheet RG flow. This result mirrors the well understood decrease of spacetime Bondi energy in the time evolution process of tachyon condensation.

Holographic holes and differential entropy

A bstractRecently it has been shown that the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy formula evaluated on certain closed surfaces in the bulk of a holographic spacetime has an interpretation as the differential entropy of a particular family of intervals (or strips) in the boundary theory [1, 2]. We first extend this construction to bulk surfaces which vary in time. We then give a general proof of the equality between the gravitational entropy and the differential entropy. This proof applies to a broad class of holographic backgrounds possessing a generalized planar symmetry and to certain classes of higher-curvature theories of gravity. To apply this theorem, one can begin with a bulk surface and determine the appropriate family of boundary intervals by considering extremal surfaces tangent to the given surface in the bulk. Alternatively, one can begin with a family of boundary intervals; as we show, the differential entropy then equals the gravitational entropy of a bulk surface that emerges from the intersection of the neighboring entanglement wedges, in a continuum limit.

General properties of holographic entanglement entropy

A bstractThe Ryu-Takayanagi formula implies many general properties of entanglement entropies in holographic theories. We review the known properties, such as continuity, strong subadditivity, and monogamy of mutual information, and fill in gaps in some of the previously-published proofs. We also add a few new properties, including: properties of the map from boundary regions to bulk regions implied by the RT formula, such as monotonicity; conditions under which subadditivity-type inequalities are saturated; and an inequality concerning reflection-symmetric states. We attempt to draw lessons from these properties about the structure of the reduced density matrix in holographic theories.