Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1412.4733 · Physical Review B

Entanglement spectrum of a random partition: Connection with the localization transition

Sagar Vijay, Liang Fu

Published Jun 15, 2015• 15 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We study the entanglement spectrum of a translationally invariant lattice system under a random partition, implemented by choosing each site to be in one subsystem with probability $p\ensuremath{\in}[0,1]$. We apply this random partitioning to a translationally invariant (i.e., clean) topological state, and argue on general grounds that the corresponding entanglement spectrum captures the universal behavior about its disorder-driven transition to a trivial localized phase. Specifically, as a function of the partitioning probability $p$, the entanglement Hamiltonian ${H}_{A}$ must go through a topological phase transition driven by the percolation of a random network of edge states. As an example, we analytically derive the entanglement Hamiltonian for a one-dimensional topological superconductor under a random partition, and demonstrate that its phase diagram includes transitions between Griffiths phases. We discuss potential advantages of studying disorder-driven topological phase transitions via the entanglement spectra of random partitions.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.91.220101

Related papers

Bulk Entanglement Spectrum Reveals Quantum Criticality within a Topological State

Timothy H. Hsieh, Liang Fu

A quantum phase transition is usually achieved by tuning physical parameters in a Hamiltonian at zero temperature. Here, we show that the ground state of a topological phase itself encodes critical properties of its transition to a trivial phase. To extract this information, we introduce an extensive partition of the system into two subsystems both of which extend throughout the bulk in all directions. The resulting bulk entanglement spectrum has a low-lying part that resembles the excitation spectrum of a bulk Hamiltonian, which allows us to probe a topological phase transition from a single wave function by tuning either the geometry of the partition or the entanglement temperature. As an example, this remarkable correspondence between the topological phase transition and the entanglement criticality is rigorously established for integer quantum Hall states.

arXiv:1305.1949•Physical Review Letters•Sep 4, 2014•48 citations

Entanglement entropy as a probe of topological phase transitions

Manish Kumar, Bharadwaj Vedula, Suhas Gangadharaiah +1 more

Entanglement entropy (EE) provides a powerful probe of quantum phases, yet its role in identifying topological phase transitions in disordered systems remains underexplored. We introduce an exact EE-based framework that captures topological phase transitions even in the presence of disorder. Specifically, for a class of Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model variants, we show that the difference in EE between half-filled and near-half-filled ground states,ΔSA, vanishes in the topological phase but remains finite in the trivial phase, a direct consequence of edge-state localization. This behavior persists even in the presence of quasiperiodic or binary disorder. By analyzing domain-wall configurations in the SSH chain, we further show how subsystem tuning allows one to distinguish genuine topological zero-energy eigenstates from trivial localized states. Exact phase boundaries, derived from Lyapunov exponents via transfer matrices, agree closely with numerical results fromΔSAand the topological invariant𝓠, with instances whereΔSAoutperforms𝓠. Our results highlight EE as a robust diagnostic tool and a potential bridge between quantum information and condensed matter approaches to topological matter.

arXiv:2508.15897•Journal of Physics Condensed Matter•Mar 20, 2026•0 citations

Entanglement topological invariants for one-dimensional topological superconductors

Pierre Fromholz, Giuseppe Magnifico, Vittorio Vitale +2 more

Entanglement provides characterizing features of true topological order in two-dimensional systems. We show how entanglement of disconnected partitions defines topological invariants for one-dimensional topological superconductors. These order parameters quantitatively capture the entanglement that is possible to distill from the ground-state manifold and are thus quantized to 0 or $log2$. Their robust quantization property is inferred from the underlying lattice gauge theory description of topological superconductors and is corroborated via exact solutions and numerical simulations. Transitions between topologically trivial and nontrivial phases are accompanied by scaling behavior, a hallmark of genuine order parameters, captured by entanglement critical exponents. These order parameters are experimentally measurable utilizing state-of-the-art techniques.

arXiv:1909.04035•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Feb 24, 2020•56 citations

Relating the entanglement spectrum of noninteracting band insulators to their quantum geometry and topology

Markus Legner, Titus Neupert

We study the entanglement spectrum of noninteracting band insulators, which can be computed from the two-point correlation function, when restricted to one part of the system. In particular, we analyze a type of partitioning of the system that maintains its full translational symmetry, by tracing over a subset of local degrees of freedom, such as sublattice sites or spin orientations. The corresponding single-particle entanglement spectrum is the band structure of an entanglement Hamiltonian in the Brillouin zone. We find that the hallmark of a nontrivial topological phase is a gapless entanglement spectrum with an ``entanglement Fermi surface.'' Furthermore, we derive a relation between the entanglement spectrum and the quantum geometry of Bloch states contained in the Fubini-Study metric. The results are illustrated with lattice models of Chern insulators and ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$ topological insulators.

arXiv:1306.4008•Physical Review B•Sep 9, 2013•29 citations

Tensor network implementation of bulk entanglement spectrum

Timothy H. Hsieh, Liang Fu, Xiao-Liang Qi

Many topologically nontrivial states of matter possess gapless degrees of freedom on the boundary, and when these boundary states delocalize into the bulk, a phase transition occurs, and the system becomes topologically trivial. We show that tensor networks provide a natural framework for analyzing such topological phase transitions in terms of the boundary degrees of freedom which mediate it. To do so, we make use of a correspondence between a topologically nontrivial ground state and its phase transition to a trivial phase established in T. Hsieh and L. Fu (arXiv:1305.1949). This involved computing the bulk entanglement spectrum (BES) of the ground state upon tracing out an extensive subsystem. This work implements BES via tensor network representations of ground states. In this framework, the universality class of the quantum critical entanglement Hamiltonian in $d$ spatial dimensions is either derived analytically or mapped to a classical statistical model in $d+1$ dimensions, which can be studied using Monte Carlo or tensor renormalization-group methods. As an example, we analytically derive the universality classes of topological phase transitions from the spin-1 chain Haldane phase and demonstrate that the Affleck-Kennedy-Lieb-Tasaki (AKLT) wave function (and its generalizations) remarkably contains critical six-vertex (and, in general, eight-vertex) models within it.

arXiv:1407.0994•Physical Review B•Aug 25, 2014•17 citations

Deep learning for disordered topological insulators through entanglement spectrum

Alejandro José Uría-Álvarez, Daniel Molpeceres-Mingo, Juan Jose Palacios

Calculation of topological invariants for crystalline systems is well understood in reciprocal space, allowing for the topological classification of a wide spectrum of materials. In this work, we present a new technique based on the entanglement spectrum, which can be used to identify the hidden topology of systems without translational invariance. By training a neural network to distinguish between trivial and topological phases using the entanglement spectrum obtained from crystalline or weakly disordered phases, we can predict the topological phase diagram for generic disordered systems. This approach becomes particularly useful for gapless systems, while providing a computational speed-up compared to the commonly used Wilson loop technique for gapful situations. Our methodology is illustrated in two-dimensional models based on the Wilson-Dirac lattice Hamiltonian.

arXiv:2201.13306•Jan 31, 2022•0 citations
We study the entanglement spectrum of a translationally invariant lattice system under a random partition, implemented by choosing each site to be in one subsystem with probability p\ensuremath∈[0,1]p\ensuremath{\in}[0,1]p\ensuremath∈[0,1]. We apply this random partitioning to a translationally invariant (i.e., clean) topological state, and argue on general grounds that the corresponding entanglement spectrum captures the universal behavior about its disorder-driven transition to a trivial localized phase. Specifically, as a function of the partitioning probability ppp, the entanglement Hamiltonian HA{H}_{A}HA​ must go through a topological phase transition driven by the percolation of a random network of edge states. As an example, we analytically derive the entanglement Hamiltonian for a one-dimensional topological superconductor under a random partition, and demonstrate that its phase diagram includes transitions between Griffiths phases. We discuss potential advantages of studying disorder-driven topological phase transitions via the entanglement spectra of random partitions.
A quantum phase transition is usually achieved by tuning physical parameters in a Hamiltonian at zero temperature. Here, we show that the ground state of a topological phase itself encodes critical properties of its transition to a trivial phase. To extract this information, we introduce an extensive partition of the system into two subsystems both of which extend throughout the bulk in all directions. The resulting bulk entanglement spectrum has a low-lying part that resembles the excitation spectrum of a bulk Hamiltonian, which allows us to probe a topological phase transition from a single wave function by tuning either the geometry of the partition or the entanglement temperature. As an example, this remarkable correspondence between the topological phase transition and the entanglement criticality is rigorously established for integer quantum Hall states.
Entanglement entropy (EE) provides a powerful probe of quantum phases, yet its role in identifying topological phase transitions in disordered systems remains underexplored. We introduce an exact EE-based framework that captures topological phase transitions even in the presence of disorder. Specifically, for a class of Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model variants, we show that the difference in EE between half-filled and near-half-filled ground states,ΔSA, vanishes in the topological phase but remains finite in the trivial phase, a direct consequence of edge-state localization. This behavior persists even in the presence of quasiperiodic or binary disorder. By analyzing domain-wall configurations in the SSH chain, we further show how subsystem tuning allows one to distinguish genuine topological zero-energy eigenstates from trivial localized states. Exact phase boundaries, derived from Lyapunov exponents via transfer matrices, agree closely with numerical results fromΔSAand the topological invariant𝓠, with instances whereΔSAoutperforms𝓠. Our results highlight EE as a robust diagnostic tool and a potential bridge between quantum information and condensed matter approaches to topological matter.
Entanglement provides characterizing features of true topological order in two-dimensional systems. We show how entanglement of disconnected partitions defines topological invariants for one-dimensional topological superconductors. These order parameters quantitatively capture the entanglement that is possible to distill from the ground-state manifold and are thus quantized to 0 or log2log2log2. Their robust quantization property is inferred from the underlying lattice gauge theory description of topological superconductors and is corroborated via exact solutions and numerical simulations. Transitions between topologically trivial and nontrivial phases are accompanied by scaling behavior, a hallmark of genuine order parameters, captured by entanglement critical exponents. These order parameters are experimentally measurable utilizing state-of-the-art techniques.
We study the entanglement spectrum of noninteracting band insulators, which can be computed from the two-point correlation function, when restricted to one part of the system. In particular, we analyze a type of partitioning of the system that maintains its full translational symmetry, by tracing over a subset of local degrees of freedom, such as sublattice sites or spin orientations. The corresponding single-particle entanglement spectrum is the band structure of an entanglement Hamiltonian in the Brillouin zone. We find that the hallmark of a nontrivial topological phase is a gapless entanglement spectrum with an ``entanglement Fermi surface.'' Furthermore, we derive a relation between the entanglement spectrum and the quantum geometry of Bloch states contained in the Fubini-Study metric. The results are illustrated with lattice models of Chern insulators and Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ topological insulators.
Many topologically nontrivial states of matter possess gapless degrees of freedom on the boundary, and when these boundary states delocalize into the bulk, a phase transition occurs, and the system becomes topologically trivial. We show that tensor networks provide a natural framework for analyzing such topological phase transitions in terms of the boundary degrees of freedom which mediate it. To do so, we make use of a correspondence between a topologically nontrivial ground state and its phase transition to a trivial phase established in T. Hsieh and L. Fu (arXiv:1305.1949). This involved computing the bulk entanglement spectrum (BES) of the ground state upon tracing out an extensive subsystem. This work implements BES via tensor network representations of ground states. In this framework, the universality class of the quantum critical entanglement Hamiltonian in ddd spatial dimensions is either derived analytically or mapped to a classical statistical model in d+1d+1d+1 dimensions, which can be studied using Monte Carlo or tensor renormalization-group methods. As an example, we analytically derive the universality classes of topological phase transitions from the spin-1 chain Haldane phase and demonstrate that the Affleck-Kennedy-Lieb-Tasaki (AKLT) wave function (and its generalizations) remarkably contains critical six-vertex (and, in general, eight-vertex) models within it.
Calculation of topological invariants for crystalline systems is well understood in reciprocal space, allowing for the topological classification of a wide spectrum of materials. In this work, we present a new technique based on the entanglement spectrum, which can be used to identify the hidden topology of systems without translational invariance. By training a neural network to distinguish between trivial and topological phases using the entanglement spectrum obtained from crystalline or weakly disordered phases, we can predict the topological phase diagram for generic disordered systems. This approach becomes particularly useful for gapless systems, while providing a computational speed-up compared to the commonly used Wilson loop technique for gapful situations. Our methodology is illustrated in two-dimensional models based on the Wilson-Dirac lattice Hamiltonian.