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arXiv:1305.1069 · New Journal of Physics

Entanglement at a two-dimensional quantum critical point: aT= 0 projector quantum Monte Carlo study

Stephen Inglis, Roger G. Melko

Published Jul 26, 2013• 47 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Although the leading-order scaling of entanglement entropy is non-universal at a quantum critical point (QCP), sub-leading scaling can contain universal behaviour. Such universal quantities are commonly studied in non-interacting field theories, however it typically requires numerical calculation to access them in interacting theories. In this paper, we use large-scale T = 0 quantum Monte Carlo simulations to examine in detail the second Rényi entropy of entangled regions at the QCP in the transverse-field Ising model in 2 + 1 space–time dimensions—a fixed point for which there is no exact result for the scaling of entanglement entropy. We calculate a universal coefficient of a vertex-induced logarithmic scaling for a polygonal entangled subregion, and compare the result to interacting and non-interacting theories. We also examine the shape-dependence of the Rényi entropy for finite-size toroidal lattices divided into two entangled cylinders by smooth boundaries. Remarkably, we find that the dependence on cylinder length follows a shape-dependent function calculated previously by Stephan et al (2013 New J. Phys. 15 015004) at the QCP corresponding to the 2 + 1 dimensional quantum Lifshitz free scalar field theory. The quality of the fit of our data to this scaling function, as well as the apparent cutoff-independent coefficient that results, presents tantalizing evidence that this function may reflect universal behaviour across these and other very disparate QCPs in 2 + 1 dimensional systems.

DOI
10.1088/1367-2630/15/7/073048

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Although the leading-order scaling of entanglement entropy is non-universal at a quantum critical point (QCP), sub-leading scaling can contain universal behaviour. Such universal quantities are commonly studied in non-interacting field theories, however it typically requires numerical calculation to access them in interacting theories. In this paper, we use large-scale T = 0 quantum Monte Carlo simulations to examine in detail the second Rényi entropy of entangled regions at the QCP in the transverse-field Ising model in 2 + 1 space–time dimensions—a fixed point for which there is no exact result for the scaling of entanglement entropy. We calculate a universal coefficient of a vertex-induced logarithmic scaling for a polygonal entangled subregion, and compare the result to interacting and non-interacting theories. We also examine the shape-dependence of the Rényi entropy for finite-size toroidal lattices divided into two entangled cylinders by smooth boundaries. Remarkably, we find that the dependence on cylinder length follows a shape-dependent function calculated previously by Stephan et al (2013 New J. Phys. 15 015004) at the QCP corresponding to the 2 + 1 dimensional quantum Lifshitz free scalar field theory. The quality of the fit of our data to this scaling function, as well as the apparent cutoff-independent coefficient that results, presents tantalizing evidence that this function may reflect universal behaviour across these and other very disparate QCPs in 2 + 1 dimensional systems.
Computing the subleading logarithmic term in the entanglement entropy (EE) of (2+1)d quantum many-body systems remains a significant challenge, despite its central role in revealing universal information about quantum states and quantum critical points (QCPs). Building on recent algorithmic advances that enable the stable calculation of EE as an exponential observable~\cite{zhouIncremental2024,zhangIntegral2024,liaoExtracting2024}, we develop a {\it bubble basis} projector quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) algorithm to precisely and efficiently compute the universal corner of EE at QCPs in a (2+1)d square-lattice transverse-field Ising model augmented with a four-body interaction. Turning on this interaction allows us to trace an Ising critical line, reaching the tricritical point, and then a line of first-order phase transition. In (2+1)d, the tricritical point is described by the Gaussian theory, where a theoretical calculation of the corner logarithmic term in the 2nd Rényi entropy term is available~\cite{UniversalCasini2007}. Our QMC results are in quantitative agreement with this theoretical value, providing a highly nontrivial benchmark of the algorithm. Furthermore, we also study the Rényi EE at the Ising critical line and on the first-order transition line, obtaining results consistent with theoretical expectations. These findings establish the long-sought connection between the universal values of an exactly solvable limit and those of a strongly correlated regime at (2+1)d.
Universal logarithmic terms in the entanglement entropy appear at quantum critical points (QCPs) in one dimension (1D) and have been predicted in 2D at QCPs described by 2D conformal field theories. The entanglement entropy in a strip geometry at such QCPs can be obtained via the "Shannon entropy" of a 1D spin chain with open boundary conditions. The Shannon entropy of the XXZ chain is found to have a logarithmic term that implies, for the QCP of the square-lattice quantum dimer model, a logarithm with universal coefficient ±0.25. However, the logarithm in the Shannon entropy of the transverse-field Ising model, which corresponds to entanglement in the 2D Ising conformal QCP, is found to have a singular dependence on the replica or Rényi index resulting from flows to different boundary conditions at the entanglement cut.
We study the bipartite entanglement entropy of the 2D transverse-field Ising model in the thermodynamic limit. Series expansions are developed for the Renyi entropy around both the small-field and large-field limits, allowing the separate calculation of the entanglement associated with lines and corners at the boundary between subsystems. Series extrapolations are used to extract power laws and logarithmic singularities as the quantum critical point is approached, giving access to new universal quantities. In 1D, we find excellent agreement with exact results as well as quantum Monte Carlo simulations. In 2D, we find compelling evidence that the entanglement at a corner is significantly different from a free boson field theory. These results demonstrate the power of the series expansion method for calculating entanglement entropy in interacting systems, a fact that will be particularly useful in searches for exotic quantum criticality in models with and without the sign problem.
In a D=2+1D=2+1D=2+1 quantum critical system, the entanglement entropy across a boundary with a corner contains a subleading logarithmic scaling term with a universal coefficient. It has been conjectured that this coefficient is, to leading order, proportional to the number of field components NNN in the associated O(N)\text{O}(N)O(N) continuum ${\ensuremath{\phi}}^{4}$ field theory. Using density matrix renormalization group calculations combined with the powerful numerical linked cluster expansion technique, we confirm this scenario for the O(2)\text{O}(2)O(2) Wilson-Fisher fixed point in a striking way, through direct calculation at the quantum critical points of two very different microscopic models. The value of this corner coefficient is, to within our numerical precision, twice the coefficient of the Ising fixed point. Our results add to the growing body of evidence that this universal term in the R\'enyi entanglement entropy reflects the number of low-energy degrees of freedom in a system, even for strongly interacting theories.
Universal scaling terms occurring in R\'enyi entanglement entropies have the potential to bring new understanding to quantum critical points in free and interacting systems. Quantitative comparisons between analytical continuum theories and numerical calculations on lattice models play a crucial role in advancing such studies. In this paper, we exactly calculate the universal two-cylinder shape dependence of entanglement entropies for free bosons on finite-size square lattices, and compare to approximate functions derived in the continuum using several different Ans\"atze. Although none of these Ans\"atze are exact in the thermodynamic limit, we find that numerical fits are in good agreement with continuum functions derived using the anti--de Sitter/conformal field theory correspondence, an extensive mutual information model, and a quantum Lifshitz model. We use fits of our lattice data to these functions to calculate universal scalars defined in the thin-cylinder limit, and compare to values previously obtained for the free boson field theory in the continuum.
We examine the scaling behavior of the entanglement entropy for the 2D quantum dimer model (QDM) at criticality and derive the universal finite sub-leading correction γQCPγ_{QCP}γQCP​. We compute the value of γQCPγ_{QCP}γQCP​ without approximation working directly with the wave function of a generalized 2D QDM at the Rokhsar-Kivelson QCP in the continuum limit. Using the replica approach, we construct the conformal boundary state corresponding to the cyclic identification of nnn-copies along the boundary of the observed region. We find that the universal finite term is γQCP=ln⁡R−1/2γ_{QCP}=\ln R-1/2γQCP​=lnR−1/2 where RRR is the compactification radius of the bose field theory quantum Lifshitz model, the effective field theory of the 2D QDM at quantum criticality. We also demonstrated that the entanglement spectrum of the critical wave function on a large but finite region is described by the characters of the underlying conformal field theory. It is shown that this is formally related to the problems of quantum Brownian motion on nnn-dimensional lattices or equivalently a system of strings interacting with a brane containing a background electromagnetic field and can be written as an expectation value of a vertex operator.