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arXiv:2409.17062 · SciPost Physics Core

Entanglement Hamiltonian and effective temperature of non-Hermitian quantum spin ladders

Pei-Yun Yang, Yu-Chin Tzeng

Published Nov 20, 2024• 8 citations
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Abstract

Quantum entanglement plays a crucial role not only in understanding Hermitian many-body systems but also in offering valuable insights into non-Hermitian quantum systems. In this paper, we analytically investigate the entanglement Hamiltonian and entanglement energy spectrum of a non-Hermitian spin ladder using perturbation theory in the biorthogonal basis. Specifically, we examine the entanglement properties between coupled non-Hermitian quantum spin chains. In the strong coupling limit ( J_\mathrm{rung}\gg1 J r u n g ≫ 1 ), first-order perturbation theory reveals that the entanglement Hamiltonian closely resembles the single-chain Hamiltonian with renormalized coupling strengths, allowing for the definition of an ad hoc temperature. Our findings provide new insights into quantum entanglement in non-Hermitian systems and offer a foundation for developing novel approaches for studying finite temperature properties in non-Hermitian quantum many-body systems.

DOI
10.21468/scipostphyscore.7.4.074

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Quantum entanglement plays a crucial role not only in understanding Hermitian many-body systems but also in offering valuable insights into non-Hermitian quantum systems. In this paper, we analytically investigate the entanglement Hamiltonian and entanglement energy spectrum of a non-Hermitian spin ladder using perturbation theory in the biorthogonal basis. Specifically, we examine the entanglement properties between coupled non-Hermitian quantum spin chains. In the strong coupling limit ( J_\mathrm{rung}\gg1 J r u n g ≫ 1 ), first-order perturbation theory reveals that the entanglement Hamiltonian closely resembles the single-chain Hamiltonian with renormalized coupling strengths, allowing for the definition of an ad hoc temperature. Our findings provide new insights into quantum entanglement in non-Hermitian systems and offer a foundation for developing novel approaches for studying finite temperature properties in non-Hermitian quantum many-body systems.
We study the entanglement spectrum of spin-1/21/21/2 XXZXXZXXZ ladders both analytically and numerically. Our analytical approach is based on perturbation theory starting either from the limit of strong rung coupling, or from the opposite case of dominant coupling along the legs. In the former case we find to leading order that the entanglement Hamiltonian is also of nearest-neighbor XXZXXZXXZ form although with an, in general, renormalized anisotropy. For the cases of XXXXXX and isotropic Heisenberg ladders no such renormalization takes place. In the Heisenberg case the second-order correction to the entanglement Hamiltonian consists of a renormalization of the nearest-neighbor coupling plus an unfrustrated next-nearest-neighbor coupling. In the opposite regime of strong coupling along the legs, we point out an interesting connection of the entanglement spectrum to the Lehmann representation of single-chain spectral functions of operators appearing in the physical Hamiltonian coupling the two chains.
Numerical studies of the reduced density matrix of a gapped spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on a two-leg ladder find that it has the same form as the Gibbs density matrix of a gapless spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain at a finite temperature determined by the spin gap of the ladder. We investigate this interesting result by considering a model of free fermions on a two-leg ladder (gapped by the inter-chain tunneling operator) and in spin systems on a ladder with a gapped ground state using exact solutions and several controlled approximations. We calculate the reduced density matrix and the entanglement entropy for a leg of the ladder (i.e. a cut made between the chains). In the fermionic system we find the exact form of the reduced density matrix for one of the chains and determine the entanglement spectrum explicitly. Here we find that in the weak tunneling limit of the ladder the entanglement entropy of one chain of the gapped ladder has a simple and universal form dictated by conformal invariance. In the case of the spin system, we consider the strong coupling limit by using perturbation theory and get the reduced density matrix by the Schmidt decomposition. The entanglement entropies of a general gapped system of two coupled conformal field theories (in 1 + 1 dimensions) are discussed using the replica trick and scaling arguments. We show that (1) for a system with a bulk gap the reduced density matrix has the form of a thermal density matrix, (2) the long-wavelength modes of one subsystem (a chain) of a gapped coupled system are always thermal, (3) the von Neumann entropy equals the thermodynamic entropy of one chain, and (4) the bulk gap plays the role of effective temperature.
We study the entanglement spectrum of Heisenberg spin ladders of arbitrary spin length S in the perturbative regime of strong rung coupling. For isotropic spin coupling the the entanglement spectrum is, within first order perturbation theory, always proportional to the energy spectrum of the single chain with a proportionality factor being also independent of S. A more complicated situation arises for anisotropic ladders of higher spin S>=1 since here even the unperturbed ground state has a nontrivial entanglement spectrum. Finally we discuss related issues in dimerized spin chains.
Abstract. We study the entanglement spectrum of Heisenberg spin ladders of arbitrary spin length S in the perturbative regime of strong rung coupling. For isotropic spin coupling the entanglement spectrum is, within first order perturbation theory, always proportional to the energy spectrum of the single chain with a proportionality factor being also independent of S. In particular, although the spin ladder possesses an excitation gap over its ground state for any spin length, the entanglement spectrum is gapless for half-integer S and gapful otherwise. A more complicated situation arises for anisotropic ladders of higher spin S ≥ 1 since here even the unperturbed ground state has a nontrivial entanglement spectrum. Finally we discuss related issues in dimerized spin chains. 1.
We investigate a specific limit of the one-dimensional non-Hermitian Hubbard Hamiltonian with complex interactions. In this framework, fermions with different spin quantum numbers are mapped onto two distinct spin species, resulting in two XYXYXY spin chains that are coupled through Ising ZZZZZZ interaction. The spin ladder model is then examined within the semiclassical limit using a spin-coherent state basis, where the dynamics is governed by a set of coupled Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equations. The non-Hermitian interactions in this model generate a spin-transfer torque term. We analyze the system's evolution toward several potential steady states, including a state of decoupled chains that is accessible when each chain has uniform initial conditions. Other possible steady states involve dimerized configurations with decoupled rungs, where the rung spins are either ferromagnetically or antiferromagnetically coupled, depending on the sign of the imaginary interactions. The spin dynamics is then studied in the infinite-temperature limit, which favors dimerized steady states. Despite the decoupled rungs, we observe the formation of ferromagnetic domains along each chain in the steady state. Additionally, we investigate the spin correlation functions and identify signatures of anomalous spin dynamics.
We investigate further the relationship between the entanglement spectrum of a composite many-body system and the energy spectrum of a subsystem making use of concepts of canonical thermodynamics. In many important cases the entanglement Hamiltonian is, in the limit of strong coupling between subsystems, proportional to the energy Hamiltonian of the subsystem. The proportionality factor is an appropriately defined coupling parameter, suggesting to interpret the latter as a inverse temperature. We identify a condition on the entanglement Hamiltonian which rigorously guarantees this interpretation to hold and removes any ambiguity in the definition of the entanglement Hamiltonian regarding contributions proportional to the unit operator. Illustrations of our findings are provided by spin ladders of arbitrary spin length, and by bilayer quantum Hall systems at total filling factor ν = 2. Within mean-field description, the latter system realizes an entanglement spectrum of free fermions with just two levels of equal modulus where the analogies to canonical thermodynamics are particularly close.