Non-local modular flows across deformed null-cuts
Abstract Modular flows probe important aspects of the entanglement structures, especially those of QFTs, in a dynamical framework. Despite the expected non-local nature in the general cases, the majority of explicitly understood examples feature local space-time trajectories under modular flows. In...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SpringerOpen
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Journal of High Energy Physics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP06(2025)101 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Abstract Modular flows probe important aspects of the entanglement structures, especially those of QFTs, in a dynamical framework. Despite the expected non-local nature in the general cases, the majority of explicitly understood examples feature local space-time trajectories under modular flows. In this work, we study a particular class of non-local modular flows. They are associated with the relativistic vacuum state and sub-regions whose boundaries lie on a planar null-surface. They satisfy a remarkable algebraic property known as the half-sided modular inclusion, and as a result the modular Hamiltonians are exactly known in terms of the stress tensor operators. To be explicit, we focus on the simplest QFT of a massive or massless free scalar in 1 + 2 dimensions. We obtain explicit expressions for the generators. They can be separated into a sum of local and non-local terms showing certain universal pattern. The preservation of von Neumann algebra under modular flow works in a subtle way for the non-local terms. We derive a differential-integral equation for the finite modular flow, which can be analyzed in perturbation theory of small distance deviating from the entanglement boundary, and re-summation can be performed in appropriate limits. Comparison with the general expectation of modular flows in such limits are discussed. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1029-8479 |