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arXiv:1805.09311 · Nuclear Physics B

A perturbative expansion for entanglement entropy in string theory

Andrea Prudenziati

Published May 3, 2019• 4 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We derive a perturbative expansion for space time entanglement entropy in string theory by comparing replica trick constructions on the target space and on the worldsheet. Requiring the two approaches to match implies a set of constrains on the amplitudes involved and produces a non-trivial relation among target space and world sheet entanglement. We will be mainly interested in bosonic string on a flat background but also discuss the superstring generalization.

DOI
10.1016/j.nuclphysb.2019.114628

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A bstract We study entanglement entropy in the low-energy effective field theory of two-dimensional string theory as well as in the singlet sector of the dual c = 1 matrix quantum mechanics. From the target space perspective, we argue that a generic bulk subregion is expected to have an associated generalized entanglement entropy combining a dilaton-dependent gravitational term and a matter contribution coming from the tachyon, extending the construction from black hole horizons to arbitrary subregions. Motivated by the absence of the gravitational area-like term in previous analyses of entanglement entropy in the c = 1 model, we compute the effect on the entanglement entropy of the nonlocal transformation induced by the leg-pole factor that relates the target space tachyon and the matrix model collective excitations, finding that it cannot account for the area-like term. We offer preliminary comments on the possible origin of the area term in the non-singlet sectors of the theory.