This work is originally a Cambridge Part III essay paper. Quantum complexity arises as an alternative measure to the Fubini metric between two quantum states. Given two states and a set of allowed gates, it is defined as the least complex unitary operator capable of transforming one state into the other. Starting with K qubits evolving through a k-local Hamiltonian, it is possible to draw an analogy between the quantum system and an auxiliary classical system. Using the definition of complexity to define a metric for the classical system, it is possible to relate its entropy with the quantum complexity of the K qubits, defining the Second Law of Quantum Complexity. The law states that, if it is not already saturated, the quantum complexity of a system will increase with an overwhelming probability towards its maximum value. In the context of AdS/CFT duality and the ER=EPR conjecture, the growth of the volume of the Einstein Rosen bridge interior is proportional to the quantum complexity of the instantaneous state of the conformal field theory. Therefore, the interior of the wormhole connecting two entangled CFT will grow as a natural consequence of the complexification of the boundary state.
This work is originally a Cambridge Part III essay paper. Quantum complexity arises as an alternative measure to the Fubini metric between two quantum states. Given two states and a set of allowed gates, it is defined as the least complex unitary operator capable of transforming one state into the other. Starting with K qubits evolving through a k-local Hamiltonian, it is possible to draw an analogy between the quantum system and an auxiliary classical system. Using the definition of complexity to define a metric for the classical system, it is possible to relate its entropy with the quantum complexity of the K qubits, defining the Second Law of Quantum Complexity. The law states that, if it is not already saturated, the quantum complexity of a system will increase with an overwhelming probability towards its maximum value. In the context of AdS/CFT duality and the ER=EPR conjecture, the growth of the volume of the Einstein Rosen bridge interior is proportional to the quantum complexity of the instantaneous state of the conformal field theory. Therefore, the interior of the wormhole connecting two entangled CFT will grow as a natural consequence of the complexification of the boundary state.
[This is a creative exploration of a concept with AI -it should not be taken as correct mathematics.] We present a detailed examination of the conjectured correspondence between Einstein-Rosen (ER) bridges and Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) entanglement, denoted as ER=EPR. This examination concentrates on the quantitative structures and derivations supporting this correspondence, primarily within the setting of the Anti-de Sitter/Conformal Field Theory (AdS/CFT) duality. We analyze the realization of this correspondence in the eternal black hole geometry and its dual Thermofield Double (TFD) state. A complete exposition of the holographic entanglement entropy prescriptions is provided, including the derivation of the Quantum Extremal Surface (QES) prescription via the Lewkowycz-Maldacena argument concerning the gravitational path integral and conical singularities, and the subsequent derivation of the Jafferis-Lewkowycz-Maldacena-Suh (JLMS) relation establishing the equality of bulk and boundary relative entropies. We investigate the relationship between the temporal evolution of the spacetime geometry, characterized by the growth of the Einstein-Rosen bridge, and the evolution of quantum complexity. A complete derivation of the maximal volume growth rate is provided, carefully analyzing the geometry inside the horizon. Furthermore, a complete derivation of the action growth rate, supporting the Complexity=Action conjecture, is provided, clarifying the precise contribution of bulk, boundary, and joint terms in the gravitational action according to the definitions established by Lehner et al. for manifolds with null boundaries. The correspondence is extended to typical entangled states, characterized by Einstein-Rosen caterpillars. We derive the effective Hamiltonian governing the ensemble average of the generating random circuits and establish the quantitative relationship between the geometric length of the wormhole and the measure of quantum randomness (k-designs), utilizing the results of Magán, Sasieta, and Swingle. The role of QES and the derivation of the Page curve via replica wormholes are analyzed, detailing the calculations in Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity theories following Penington et al. Mechanisms for rendering wormholes traversable via boundary interactions (Gao-Jafferis-Wall construction) and operational interpretations based on Local Operationsand Classical Communication protocols are also discussed, emphasizing the quantitative consistency of these interconnected concepts.
We introduce “binding complexity”, a new notion of circuit complexity which quantifies the difficulty of distributing entanglement among multiple parties, each consisting of many local degrees of freedom. We define binding complexity of a given state as the minimal number of quantum gates that must act between parties to prepare it. To illustrate the new notion we compute it in a toy model for a scalar field theory, using certain multiparty entangled states which are analogous to configurations that are known in AdS/CFT to correspond to multiboundary wormholes. Pursuing this analogy, we show that our states can be prepared by the Euclidean path integral in (0 + 1)-dimensional quantum mechanics on graphs with wormhole-like structure. We compute the binding complexity of our states by adapting the Euler-Arnold approach to Nielsen’s geometrization of gate counting, and find a scaling with entropy that resembles a result for the interior volume of holographic multiboundary wormholes. We also compute the binding complexity of general coherent states in perturbation theory, and show that for “double-trace deformations” of the Hamiltonian the effects resemble expansion of a wormhole interior in holographic theories.
Abstract We introduce “binding complexity”, a new notion of circuit complexity which quantifies the difficulty of distributing entanglement among multiple parties, each consisting of many local degrees of freedom. We define binding complexity of a given state as the minimal number of quantum gates that must act between parties to prepare it. To illustrate the new notion we compute it in a toy model for a scalar field theory, using certain multiparty entangled states which are analogous to configurations that are known in AdS/CFT to correspond to multiboundary wormholes. Pursuing this analogy, we show that our states can be prepared by the Euclidean path integral in (0 + 1)-dimensional quantum mechanics on graphs with wormhole-like structure. We compute the binding complexity of our states by adapting the Euler-Arnold approach to Nielsen’s geometrization of gate counting, and find a scaling with entropy that resembles a result for the interior volume of holographic multiboundary wormholes. We also compute the binding complexity of general coherent states in perturbation theory, and show that for “double-trace deformations” of the Hamiltonian the effects resemble expansion of a wormhole interior in holographic theories.
If spacetime is built out of quantum bits, does the shape of space depend on how the bits are entangled? The ER=EPR conjecture relates the entanglement entropy of a collection of black holes to the cross sectional area of Einstein-Rosen (ER) bridges (or wormholes) connecting them. We show that the geometrical entropy of classical ER bridges satisfies the subadditivity, triangle, strong subadditivity, and Cadney-Linden-Winter inequalities. These are nontrivial properties of entanglement entropy, so this is evidence for ER=EPR. We further show that the entanglement entropy associated with classical ER bridges has nonpositive tripartite information. This is not a property of entanglement entropy, in general. For example, the entangled four qubit pure state ∣GHZ4⟩=(∣0000⟩+∣1111⟩)/2 has positive tripartite information, so this state cannot be described by a classical ER bridge. Large black holes with massive amounts of entanglement between them can fail to have a classical ER bridge if they are built out of ∣GHZ4⟩ states. States with nonpositive tripartite information are called monogamous. We conclude that classical ER bridges require monogamous EPR correlations.
The concept of quantum complexity has far-reaching implications spanning theoretical computer science, quantum many-body physics, and high-energy physics.The quantum complexity of a unitary transformation or quantum state is defined as the size of the shortest quantum computation that executes the unitary or prepares the state.It is reasonable to expect that the complexity of a quantum state governed by a chaotic many-body Hamiltonian grows linearly with time for a time that is exponential in the system size; however, because it is hard to rule out a shortcut that improves the efficiency of a computation, it is notoriously difficult to derive lower bounds on quantum complexity for particular unitaries or states without making additional assumptions.To go further, one may study more generic models of complexity growth.We provide a rigorous connection between complexity growth and unitary k-designs, ensembles that capture the randomness of the unitary group.This connection allows us to leverage existing results about design growth to draw conclusions about the growth of complexity.We prove that local random quantum circuits generate unitary transformations whose complexity grows linearly for a long time, mirroring the behavior one expects in chaotic quantum systems and verifying conjectures by Brown and Susskind.Moreover, our results apply under a strong definition of quantum complexity based on optimal distinguishing measurements.
It was found, by studying black holes, that the compatibility of the theory of gravity and the laws of quantum mechanics demands that the universe must act like a hologram. That is, all the information inside a region of the universe should be encoded on a so-called holographic screen of one-lesser dimension. This is termed the holographic principle. In a generic spacetime, such as an expanding universe, holographic screens depend on the choice of an observer, which is consistent with the notion that the observer is part of the system in cosmology. In the first part of this dissertation, we study the observer-dependence of holographic screens. This will help us understand how the fundamental description of the universe depends on the choice of the observer. Furthermore, we study the dynamics of the holographic screens and their geometry in the first part of this dissertation.An example where the holographic principle is manifest is the AdS-CFT correspondence. This correspondence connects quantum information quantities, like entanglement and complexity, to geometric quantities, like area and volume, respectively. In the second and the third part of this dissertation, we use the AdS-CFT correspondence as a tool to calculate the entanglement entropy and the computational complexity of a quenched CFT state. Studying the time evolution of the entanglement entropy following a quantum quench teaches us how a CFT state thermalizes. On the other hand, studying the time evolution of the computational complexity allows us to check the validity of various recent conjectures involving black holes and complexity.