A bstract The entanglement asymmetry is an information based observable that quantifies the degree of symmetry breaking in a region of an extended quantum system. We investigate this measure in the ground state of one dimensional critical systems described by a CFT. Employing the correspondence between global symmetries and defects, the analysis of the entanglement asymmetry can be formulated in terms of partition functions on Riemann surfaces with multiple non-topological defect lines inserted at their branch cuts. For large subsystems, these partition functions are determined by the scaling dimension of the defects. This leads to our first main observation: at criticality, the entanglement asymmetry acquires a subleading contribution scaling as log ℓ/ℓ for large subsystem length ℓ . Then, as an illustrative example, we consider the XY spin chain, which has a critical line described by the massless Majorana fermion theory and explicitly breaks the U(1) symmetry associated with rotations about the z -axis. In this situation the corresponding defect is marginal. Leveraging conformal invariance, we relate the scaling dimension of these defects to the ground state energy of the massless Majorana fermion on a circle with equally-spaced point defects. We exploit this mapping to derive our second main result: the exact expression for the scaling dimension associated with n defects of arbitrary strengths. Our result generalizes a known formula for the n = 1 case derived in several previous works. We then use this exact scaling dimension to derive our third main result: the exact prefactor of the log ℓ/ℓ term in the asymmetry of the critical XY chain.
A bstract The entanglement asymmetry is an information based observable that quantifies the degree of symmetry breaking in a region of an extended quantum system. We investigate this measure in the ground state of one dimensional critical systems described by a CFT. Employing the correspondence between global symmetries and defects, the analysis of the entanglement asymmetry can be formulated in terms of partition functions on Riemann surfaces with multiple non-topological defect lines inserted at their branch cuts. For large subsystems, these partition functions are determined by the scaling dimension of the defects. This leads to our first main observation: at criticality, the entanglement asymmetry acquires a subleading contribution scaling as log ℓ/ℓ for large subsystem length ℓ . Then, as an illustrative example, we consider the XY spin chain, which has a critical line described by the massless Majorana fermion theory and explicitly breaks the U(1) symmetry associated with rotations about the z -axis. In this situation the corresponding defect is marginal. Leveraging conformal invariance, we relate the scaling dimension of these defects to the ground state energy of the massless Majorana fermion on a circle with equally-spaced point defects. We exploit this mapping to derive our second main result: the exact expression for the scaling dimension associated with n defects of arbitrary strengths. Our result generalizes a known formula for the n = 1 case derived in several previous works. We then use this exact scaling dimension to derive our third main result: the exact prefactor of the log ℓ/ℓ term in the asymmetry of the critical XY chain.
A bstract We examine the behavior of the entanglement asymmetry in the ground state of a (1+1)-dimensional conformal field theory with a boundary condition that explicitly breaks a bulk symmetry. Our focus is on the asymmetry of a subsystem A originating from the symmetry-breaking boundary and extending into a semi-infinite bulk. By employing the twist field formalism, we derive a universal expression for the asymmetry, showing that the asymptotic behavior for large subsystems is approached algebraically, with an exponent which is twice the conformal dimension of a boundary condition-changing operator. As a secondary result, we also establish a similar asymptotic behavior for the string order parameter. Our exact analytical findings are validated through numerical simulations in the critical Ising and 3-state Potts models.
A bstract A state in a quantum system with a given global symmetry, G , can be sensitive to the presence of boundaries, which may either preserve or break this symmetry. In this work, we investigate how conformal invariant boundary conditions influence the G -symmetry breaking through the lens of the entanglement asymmetry, a quantifier of the “distance” between a symmetry-broken state and its symmetrized counterpart. By leveraging 2D boundary conformal field theory (BCFT), we investigate the symmetry breaking for both finite and compact Lie groups. Beyond the leading order term, we also compute the subleading corrections in the subsystem size, highlighting their dependence on the symmetry group G and the BCFT operator content. We further explore the entanglement asymmetry following a global quantum quench, where a symmetry-broken state evolves under a symmetry-restoring Hamiltonian. In this dynamical setting, we compute the entanglement asymmetry by extending the method of images to a BCFT with non-local objects such as invertible symmetry defects.
This thesis investigates the use of concepts from quantum information theory to analyze and quantify symmetry breaking in extended quantum systems, particularly focusing on the key measure known as Entanglement Asymmetry. The core of the work introduces and applies Entanglement Asymmetry. This quantity is defined based on the difference in information content between a quantum state and a version of that state where the symmetry has been enforced (or "symmetrized"). It represents an alternative approach to traditional, often problematic, local order parameters for measuring symmetry breaking: asymmetry is zero only if the state perfectly preserves the symmetry. The major contributions of the thesis are structured as follows: Symmetry Breaking in Bulk Critical Systems: The research analyzes Entanglement Asymmetry in two-dimensional Conformal Field Theories (CFTs) where the symmetry is explicitly broken. This work derives the asymptotic behavior of the asymmetry as a function of the subsystem size, extending earlier finite-size results to the critical continuum limit. Boundary Effects and Quenches: The analysis is extended to cases where the symmetry holds in the bulk of a CFT but is broken at the edge by a boundary condition. The thesis provides formulas describing this boundary-induced asymmetry, including power-law corrections whose exponents are linked to the properties of boundary-changing operators. It also explores the time evolution of asymmetry in quantum quench protocols. Generalization of Asymmetry to Modern Symmetries: The concept of Entanglement Asymmetry is generalized to include finite generalized symmetries, such as higher-form and non-invertible symmetries, which are a major topic in modern QFT. This involves establishing a generalized procedure for "symmetrizing" a state without relying on traditional group mathematics. Entanglement in Non-Hermitian Systems: The final chapter shifts focus to explore other entanglement properties, specifically symmetry-resolved entanglement and the entanglement Hamiltonian, within non-Hermitian models and their corresponding non-unitary CFTs.
Abstract We study the explicit breaking of a SU(2) symmetry to a U(1) subgroup employing the entanglement asymmetry, a recently introduced observable that measures how much symmetries are broken in a part of extended quantum systems. We consider as specific model the critical XXZ spin chain, which breaks the SU(2) symmetry of spin rotations except at the isotropic point, and is described by the massless compact boson in the continuum limit. We examine the U(1) subgroup of SU(2) that is broken outside the isotropic point by applying conformal perturbation theory, which we complement with numerical simulations on the lattice. We also analyse the entanglement asymmetry of the full SU(2) group. By relying on very generic scaling arguments, we derive an asymptotic expression for it.
Quantum systems display counterintuitive features, escaping our everyday-life intuition, whose origin is related to entanglement. This phenomenon arises when different parts of the same systems display correlations, which cannot be understood via classical mechanics, and they are dubbed as quantum. To characterize the correlations above, it is necessary to find good entanglement measures which are able to capture quantitatively the quantum features of a given system. This motivates the investigation and the computation of quantities such as the von Neumann entropy of regions, which provides information about how a system is entangled. Our focus is quantum one-dimensional systems close to their critical point, where quantum correlations are enhanced, and a characterization via Quantum Field Theory (QFT) can be provided. In particular, we aim to understand the role of symmetries and localized defects on the entanglement properties. Those aspects display an intimate connection. First, via replica trick, the entropy is expressed via a replica permutation symmetry. Then, single defects break symmetries that are present in the corresponding homogeneous systems. Due to these reasons, the characterization of symmetry actions on subsystems can be viewed as a unifying framework for quantifying entanglement. We split this thesis into two parts. The first part is devoted to the symmetry-resolved entanglement. We first compute it in massive integrable field theories, giving analytical predictions for free fermions/bosons and the 3-state Potts model. For instance, we characterize the universal corrections to area law via form factor bootstrap. We also study excited states of field theories, and we characterize both low-energy states of Conformal Field Theory (CFT) and quasi-particle states. The second part deals with quantum correlations across defects. We provide a CFT framework to compute Rényi entropy and negativity in the ground state of conformal junctions, giving analytical predictions for free fermions and bosons. We find logarithmic growth of the entanglement measures above, and we relate the universal prefactor to the boundary conditions, encoded in a boundary scattering matrix. Then, we focus on the entanglement dynamics, and we study the time evolution of correlations for two paradigmatic classes of quench protocols. For a global quench, we find a linear growth of entropy across the defect whose slope is computed both in CFT, for thermal states, and for free fermions, via a modification of the quasi-particle picture. For a domain wall melting protocol, also known as inhomogeneous quench, we find that, while local observables are easily understood via hydrodynamics and local generalized Gibbs ensembles, the same is not true for the entropy. In contrast, by employing the quasi-particle picture, we provide precise predictions for the dynamics of entanglement, revealing the influence of long-range correlations between points that are specular with respect to the defect.
Abstract Entanglement asymmetry is a measure of symmetry breaking in quantum subsystems, inspired by quantum information theory, particularly suited to study out-of-equilibrium states. We study the entanglement asymmetry of a class of excited “coherent states” in conformal quantum field theories with a U(1) symmetry, employing Euclidean path-integral methods with topological symmetry defects and the replica formalism. We compute, at leading order in perturbation theory, the asymmetry for a variety of subsystems, including finite spherical subregions in flat space, in finite volume, and at positive temperature. We also study its Lorentzian time evolution, showcasing the dynamical restoration of the symmetry due to thermalization, as well as the presence of a quantum Mpemba effect. Our results are universal, and apply in any number of dimensions. We also show that the perturbative entanglement asymmetry is related to the Fisher information metric, which has a known holographic dual called the Hollands–Wald canonical energy, and that it is captured by the anti-de-Sitter bulk charge contained in the entanglement wedge.