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arXiv:2508.21823 · SciPost Physics

A new characterization of the holographic entropy cone

Guglielmo Grimaldi, Matthew Headrick, Veronika E. Hubeny

Published Apr 30, 2026• 3 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Entanglement entropies computed using the holographic Ryu-Takayanagi formula are known to obey an infinite set of linear inequalities, which define the so-called RT entropy cone. The general structure of this cone, or equivalently the set of all valid inequalities, is unknown. It is also unknown whether those same inequalities are also obeyed by entropies computed using the covariant Hubeny-Rangamani-Takayanagi formula, although significant evidence has accumulated that they are. Using Markov states, we develop a test of this conjecture in a heretofore unexplored regime. The test reduces to checking that a given inequality obeys a certain majorization property, which is easy to evaluate. We find that the RT inequalities pass this test and, surprisingly, only such inequalities do so. Our results not only provide strong new evidence that the HRT and RT cones coincide, but also offer a completely new characterization of that cone.

DOI
10.21468/scipostphys.20.4.122

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Entanglement entropies computed using the holographic Ryu-Takayanagi formula are known to obey an infinite set of linear inequalities, which define the so-called RT entropy cone. The general structure of this cone, or equivalently the set of all valid inequalities, is unknown. It is also unknown whether those same inequalities are also obeyed by entropies computed using the covariant Hubeny-Rangamani-Takayanagi formula, although significant evidence has accumulated that they are. Using Markov states, we develop a test of this conjecture in a heretofore unexplored regime. The test reduces to checking that a given inequality obeys a certain majorization property, which is easy to evaluate. We find that the RT inequalities pass this test and, surprisingly, only such inequalities do so. Our results not only provide strong new evidence that the HRT and RT cones coincide, but also offer a completely new characterization of that cone.
Abstract Quantum states with geometric duals are known to satisfy a stricter set of entropy inequalities than those obeyed by general quantum systems. The set of allowed entropies derived using the Ryu-Takayanagi (RT) formula defines the Holographic Entropy Cone (HEC). These inequalities are no longer satisfied once general quantum corrections are included by employing the Quantum Extremal Surface (QES) prescription. Nevertheless, the structure of the QES formula allows for a controlled study of how quantum contributions from bulk entropies interplay with HEC inequalities. In this paper, we initiate an exploration of this problem by relating bulk entropy constraints to boundary entropy inequalities. In particular, we show that requiring the bulk entropies to satisfy the HEC implies that the boundary entropies also satisfy the HEC. Further, we also show that requiring the bulk entropies to obey monogamy of mutual information (MMI) implies the boundary entropies also obey MMI.
A holographic entropy inequality (HEI) is a linear inequality obeyed by Ryu-Takayanagi holographic entanglement entropies, or equivalently by the minimum cut function on weighted graphs. We establish a new combinatorial framework for studying HEIs, and use it to prove several properties they share, including two majorization-related properties as well as a necessary and sufficient condition for an inequality to be an HEI. We thereby resolve all the conjectures presented in [arXiv:2508.21823], proving two of them and disproving the other two. In particular, we show that the null reduction of any superbalanced HEI passes the majorization test defined in [arXiv:2508.21823], thereby providing strong new evidence that all HEIs are obeyed in time-dependent holographic states.
The Ryu-Takayanagi formula implies many general properties of entanglement entropies in holographic theories. We review the known properties, such as continuity, strong subadditivity, and monogamy of mutual information, and fill in gaps in some of the previously-published proofs. We also add a few new properties, including: properties of the map from boundary regions to bulk regions implied by the RT formula, such as monotonicity; conditions under which subadditivity-type inequalities are saturated; and an inequality concerning reflection-symmetric states. We attempt to draw lessons from these properties about the structure of the reduced density matrix in holographic theories.
Abstract In holographic duality, if a boundary state has a geometric description that realizes the Ryu-Takayanagi proposal then its entanglement entropies must obey certain inequalities that together define the so-called holographic entropy cone. A large family of such inequalities have been proven under the assumption that the bulk geometry is static, using a method involving contraction maps. By using kinematic space techniques, we show that in two boundary (three bulk) dimensions, all entropy inequalities that can be proven in the static case by contraction maps must also hold in holographic states with time dependence.
Quantities computed by minimal cuts, such as entanglement entropies achievable by the Ryu-Takayanagi proposal in the AdS/CFT correspondence, are constrained by linear inequalities. We prove a previously conjectured property of all such constraints: Any kkk systems on the "greater-than" side of the inequality whose overlap is nonempty are subsumed in some kkk systems on its "less-than" side (accounting for multiplicity). This finding adds evidence that the same inequalities also constrain the entropies under time-dependent conditions because it preempts a large class of potential counterexamples. We prove several other properties of holographic entropy inequalities and comment on their relation to quantum erasure correction and the Renormalization Group.
In holographic duality, if a boundary state has a geometric description that realizes the Ryu-Takayanagi proposal then its entanglement entropies must obey certain inequalities that together define the so-called holographic entropy cone. A large family of such inequalities have been proven under the assumption that the bulk geometry is static, using a method involving contraction maps. By using kinematic space techniques, we show that in two boundary (three bulk) dimensions, all entropy inequalities that can be proven in the static case by contraction maps must also hold in holographic states with time dependence.