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arXiv:2210.08783 · Journal of High Energy Physics

Thread/State correspondence: from bit threads to qubit threads

Yi-Yu Lin, Jie-Chen Jin

Published Feb 27, 2023• 8 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract Starting from an interesting coincidence between the bit threads and SS (surface/state) correspondence, both of which are closely related to the holographic RT formula, we introduce a property of bit threads that has not been explicitly proposed before, which can be referred to as thread/state correspondence (see [50] for a brief pre-release version). Using this thread/state correspondence, we can construct the explicit expressions for the SS states corresponding to a set of bulk extremal surfaces in the SS correspondence, and nicely characterize their entanglement structure. Based on this understanding, we use the locking bit thread configurations to construct a holographic qubit threads model as a new toy model of the holographic principle, and show that it is closely related to the holographic tensor networks, the kinematic space, and the connectivity of spacetime.

DOI
10.1007/jhep02(2023)245

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Abstract Starting from an interesting coincidence between the bit threads and SS (surface/state) correspondence, both of which are closely related to the holographic RT formula, we introduce a property of bit threads that has not been explicitly proposed before, which can be referred to as thread/state correspondence (see [50] for a brief pre-release version). Using this thread/state correspondence, we can construct the explicit expressions for the SS states corresponding to a set of bulk extremal surfaces in the SS correspondence, and nicely characterize their entanglement structure. Based on this understanding, we use the locking bit thread configurations to construct a holographic qubit threads model as a new toy model of the holographic principle, and show that it is closely related to the holographic tensor networks, the kinematic space, and the connectivity of spacetime.
We investigate the relations between bit thread, entanglement distillation, and entanglement of purification in the holographic framework. Specifically, we give a bit thread interpretation for the one-shot entanglement distillation (OSED) tensor network, which can be understood as reconstructing the geometric structure of the bulk spacetime from the entanglement information of the boundary quantum system through the ``surface growth scheme.'' Moreover, by showing that the holographic entanglement of purification (EoP) process can be regarded as a special case of our ``surface growth scheme,'' we naturally obtain the bit thread interpretation of the holographic EoP in our framework, which turns out to be different from the existing interpretations. Since our interpretation for holographic EoP is obtained in a more general and physical framework, the advantage of our version is that it is more natural, and possibly more reasonable, to reflect the real physical entanglement structures.
This paper systematically develops the concept of entanglement threads that characterize the entanglement structure of holographic duality. Behind this framework lies a simple philosophy: holographic quantum entanglement can be visualized using threadlike objects. Inspired by the fact that tensor network models can be deformed into a quantum circuit form with flow-conserving features, we abstract the concept of entanglement threads. These entanglement threads can be understood as a preset ensemble of wires in a holographic quantum circuit, and we propose that they characterize the underlying partially ordered structure of holographic quantum entanglement. Combining the concepts of entanglement threads and kinematic space, a elegant circuit interpretation for the holographic complexity is provided. We also clarify the connection and distinction between entanglement threads and the previously proposed concept of bit threads.
A bstract In this paper, we study the holographic quantum entanglement structure in the finite-temperature CFT state/planar BTZ black hole correspondence from the perspective of entanglement threads. Unlike previous studies based on bit threads, these entanglement threads provide a more detailed characterization of the contribution sources to the von Neumann entropy of boundary subregions, in particular by quantitatively deriving the flux function of entanglement threads that traverse the wormhole horizon and connect the two asymptotic boundaries. Since entanglement threads are naturally and closely related to tensor network states, the results are argued to imply the existence of the perfect-type entanglement formed jointly by the entanglement threads crossing the wormhole and the internal threads in the single-sided boundary. We also discuss the close connections of this work with concepts such as bit threads and partial entanglement entropy.
Abstract We generalize bit threads to hyperthreads in the context of holographic spacetimes. We define a “k-thread” to be a hyperthread which connects k different boundary regions and posit that it may be considered as a unit of k-party entanglement. Using this new object, we show that the contribution of hyperthreads to calculations of holographic entanglement entropy are generically finite. This is accomplished by constructing a surface whose area determines their maximum allowed contribution. We also identify surfaces whose area is proportional to the maximum number of k-threads, motivating a possible measure of multipartite entanglement. We use this to make connections to the current understanding of multipartite entanglement in holographic spacetimes.
A bstract We revisit the recent reformulation of the holographic prescription to compute entanglement entropy in terms of a convex optimization problem, introduced by Freedman and Headrick. According to it, the holographic entanglement entropy associated to a boundary region is given by the maximum flux of a bounded, divergenceless vector field, through the corresponding region. Our work leads to two main results: (i) We present a general algorithm that allows the construction of explicit thread configurations in cases where the minimal surface is known. We illustrate the method with simple examples: spheres and strips in vacuum AdS, and strips in a black brane geometry. Studying more generic bulk metrics, we uncover a sufficient set of conditions on the geometry and matter fields that must hold to be able to use our prescription. (ii) Based on the nesting property of holographic entanglement entropy, we develop a method to construct bit threads that maximize the flux through a given bulk region. As a byproduct, we are able to construct more general thread configurations by combining (i) and (ii) in multiple patches. We apply our methods to study bit threads which simultaneously compute the entanglement entropy and the entanglement of purification of mixed states and comment on their interpretation in terms of entanglement distillation. We also consider the case of disjoint regions for which we can explicitly construct the so-called multi-commodity flows and show that the monogamy property of mutual information can be easily illustrated from our constructions.
A bstract We derive several new quantum bit thread prescriptions for holographic entanglement entropy, equivalent for static states to the quantum extremal surface formula. Our new prescriptions come in many varieties: vector field-based or based on measures over bulk curves, dependent or independent of the bulk UV regulator, loose and strict versions of constraints, and more. We also explore how bit threads behave in the presence of entanglement islands and baby universes. Finally, our prescriptions inspire new measures of entanglement that we call entanglement distribution functions, which can be packaged into a convex polytope that we call the entropohedron. A video abstract is available at https://youtu.be/xSyRAXkPpdw .