Irreversibility in quantum field theories with boundaries

Journal of High Energy Physics

Ignacio Salazar Landea¹  Gonzalo Torroba¹  Horacio Casini¹ 

[1] Centro Atómico Bariloche and CONICET;

关键词: Boundary Quantum Field Theory;    Conformal Field Theory;    Renormalization Group;   

DOI  :  10.1007/JHEP04(2019)166

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract We study conformal field theories with boundaries, and their boundary renormalization group (RG) flows, using methods from quantum information theory. Positivity of the relative entropy, together with unitarity and Lorentz invariance, give rise to bounds that characterize the irreversibility of such flows. This generalizes the recently proved entropic g-theorem to higher dimensions. In 2 + 1 dimensions with a boundary, we prove the entropic b-theorem — the decrease of the two-dimensional Weyl anomaly under boundary RG flows. In higher dimensions, the bound implies that the leading area coefficient of the entanglement entropy induced by the defect decreases along the flow. Our proof unifies these properties, and provides an information-theoretic interpretation in terms of the distinguishability between the short distance and long distance states. Finally, we establish a sum rule for the change in the area term in theories with boundaries, which could have implications for models with localized gravity.

【 授权许可】

Unknown