arXiv:2605.01595 · Journal of Statistical Mechanics Theory and Experiment
Entanglement dynamics after quenches with inhomogeneous Hamiltonians
Andrea Di Pasquale, Federico Rottoli, Vincenzo Alba
Abstract
We investigate entanglement dynamics in bipartite systems governed by inhomogeneous Hamiltonians of the form $H = H_L + H_R$, where $H_{L/R}$ acts only on the left or right region and is homogeneous within each region. Focusing on the XX chain and the transverse-field Ising chain, we derive analytical formulas for the entanglement entropy between the two regions in the hydrodynamic limit of long times. In this regime, fermions incident on the interface undergo scattering, generating entanglement between reflected and transmitted modes. The resulting quasiparticle picture is controlled by the transmission coefficient, which we obtain analytically by solving the stationary lattice Schrödinger equation. Due to the bounded dispersion, strong inhomogeneity suppresses both transport and entanglement growth. We benchmark our analytical predictions against numerical simulations in paradigmatic setups. Finally, we extend the analysis to the interacting XXZ chain using tDMRG. The numerical data show qualitative agreement with the quadratic case: entanglement growth remains suppressed in the strongly inhomogeneous limit. Notably, however, entanglement continues to increase even when transport is suppressed, at least at intermediate times.
AI Summary
The paper studies entanglement growth across an interface joining two spin-chain regions with different uniform magnetic fields. It considers quenches in the free-fermion XX and transverse-field Ising chains, then explores interactions numerically in the XXZ chain. A scattering-based quasiparticle picture conjectures the hydrodynamic entropy growth rate. When only the left region produces excitations, it gives $S(t)=t\int_0^\pi \frac{dk}{2\pi}|v_L(k)|s_{YY}(T(k)n_L(k))$, where $T$ is the interface transmission probability and $s_{YY}$ is binary entropy. Transmission coefficients are obtained analytically from stationary lattice scattering equations. Bounded dispersion restricts transmission to overlapping energy bands; in the XX chain the linear growth rate vanishes for $|h_L-h_R|\geq 2J$. Gaussian correlation-matrix simulations, including chains of 1,000 sites, support the one-sided formula and an additive two-sided extension for the tested Ising quenches. That extension fails for XX quenches with nontrivial occupations on both sides; correlations beyond occupation densities remain unresolved. TEBD simulations of XXZ chains at $\Delta=0.7$ and $2$ show intermediate-time entanglement growth beyond the free-chain transmission threshold. At $\Delta=2$ and field difference $3$, growth persists through the converged window $t\lesssim15$, while magnetization and energy transport appear suppressed. Larger field differences yield apparent saturation. Whether the growth survives asymptotically is unresolved: later-time calculations remain bond-dimension dependent even at $\chi=2500$. The entropy formulas remain conjectural, assume pair-producing initial states, and apply to a bipartition located at the interface.
Central claim may not hold: The abstract describes the entropy formulas as derived, whereas the body presents them as numerically tested conjectures. The paper's own two-sided XX-chain Néel-state benchmark contradicts its proposed two-sided entropy formula, limiting the scope of the abstract's analytical claim. The entropy construction assumes initial states generating pairwise-entangled quasiparticles and does not establish the abstract's apparent broader initial-state scope. The printed Ising group velocity is twice the derivative of the printed dispersion, creating a factor-of-two inconsistency in the stated entropy prediction. The Ising transmission formula prints the velocity ratio backwards, although its final closed-form transmission coefficient uses the correct flux ratio.
Written by gpt-6.1-sol from the paper's full text. Automated: it can be wrong.
- Journal reference
- J. Stat. Mech. (2026) 103101
- DOI
- 10.1088/1742-5468/aea554
- Comments
- 20 pages, 9 figures