We develop a cohomological framework for entanglement entropy that unifies information theory, operator algebras, and noncommutative geometry. Entropy is a 1-cocycle in information cohomology; we generalize this to the quantum setting via Hochschild and cyclic cohomology. For an inclusion of von Neumann algebras N contained in M with a faithful normal state w admitting a cyclic and separating vector, and a conditional expectation E: M -> N (whose existence is equivalent to modular invariance of N by Takesaki's theorem), we construct the entanglement complex as the image of the transgression map tau_w on the relative cyclic complex, where A is a dense *-subalgebra of M and B = A intersect N. Our main result identifies entanglement cohomology with the kernel of the restriction map HC*(A) -> HC*(B), up to the connecting homomorphism d of the long exact sequence of the pair (A,B); when d = 0, the identification is exact. The relative modular cocycle u_t = (Dw : D(w|_N) o E)_t generates explicit entanglement classes when E is not w-invariant, with the Araki relative entropy as its infinitesimal generator. The framework accommodates Type III von Neumann algebras, where no local density matrix exists, and leads to a holographic proposal: a subspace of H^1_ent is conjecturally dual to linearized modular Hamiltonian perturbations of the bulk entanglement wedge. We verify the construction in finite-dimensional, type II_1, and type III_1 examples.
We develop a cohomological framework for entanglement entropy that unifies information theory, operator algebras, and noncommutative geometry. Entropy is a 1-cocycle in information cohomology; we generalize this to the quantum setting via Hochschild and cyclic cohomology. For an inclusion of von Neumann algebras N contained in M with a faithful normal state w admitting a cyclic and separating vector, and a conditional expectation E: M -> N (whose existence is equivalent to modular invariance of N by Takesaki's theorem), we construct the entanglement complex as the image of the transgression map tau_w on the relative cyclic complex, where A is a dense -subalgebra of M and B = A intersect N. Our main result identifies entanglement cohomology with the kernel of the restriction map HC(A) -> HC*(B), up to the connecting homomorphism d of the long exact sequence of the pair (A,B); when d = 0, the identification is exact. The relative modular cocycle u_t = (Dw : D(w|_N) o E)_t generates explicit entanglement classes when E is not w-invariant, with the Araki relative entropy as its infinitesimal generator. The framework accommodates Type III von Neumann algebras, where no local density matrix exists, and leads to a holographic proposal: a subspace of H^1_ent is conjecturally dual to linearized modular Hamiltonian perturbations of the bulk entanglement wedge. We verify the construction in finite-dimensional, type II_1, and type III_1 examples.
In this thesis, we study aspects of entanglement theory of quantum field theories from an algebraic point of view. The main motivation is to gain insights about the general structure of the entanglement in QFT, towards a definition of an entropic version of QFT. In the opposite direction, we are also interested in exploring any consequence of the entanglement in algebraic QFT. This may help us to reveal unknown features of QFT, with the final aim of finding a dynamical principle which allows us to construct non-trivial and rigorous models of QFT. The algebraic approach is the natural framework to define and study entanglement in QFT, and hence, to pose the above inquiries. After a self-contained review of algebraic QFT and quantum information theory in operator algebras, we focus on our results. We compute, in a mathematically rigorous way, exact solutions of entanglement measures and modular Hamiltonians for specific QFT models, using algebraic tools from modular theory of von Neumann algebras. These calculations show explicitly non-local features of modular Hamiltonians and help us to solve ambiguities that arise in other non-rigorous computations. We also study aspects of entanglement entropy in theories having superselection sectors coming from global symmetries. We follow the algebraic perspective of Doplicher, Haag, and Roberts. In this way, we find an entropic order parameter that "measures" the size of the symmetry group, which is made out of a difference of two mutual informations. Moreover, we identify the main operators that take account of such a difference, and we obtain a new quantum information quantity, the entropic certainty relation, involving algebras containing such operators. This certainty relation keeps an intrinsic connection with subfactor theory of von Neumann algebras.
This preprint investigates structural relations between relative entropy, modular theory, and information geometry in algebraic quantum field theory (AQFT). In finite‑dimensional quantum systems, the Hessian of Umegaki relative entropy coincides with the Bogoliubov–Kubo–Mori (BKM) metric, and modular automorphisms act by isometries of this geometry; these standard results are reviewed as a mathematically controlled reference model. Motivated by this setting, the work formulates minimal structural conditions under which a perturbative modular information‑geometric programme for Type III1_11 von Neumann algebras could become mathematically meaningful. The analysis focuses on admissible perturbation sectors, Araki relative entropy, modular covariance, and the functional‑analytic obstructions caused by unbounded modular operators. A general consequence of positive semidefiniteness of the perturbative entropy Hessian is recorded: whenever the Hessian defines a well‑defined positive semidefinite bilinear form, its null directions annihilate the full form. In the Rindler wedge model, the corresponding regularity problem for candidate perturbations is formulated in terms of spectral properties and domain issues of the Lorentz boost generator. Throughout, explicit separation is maintained between rigorous results, conditional statements, heuristic motivations, and unresolved analytic problems. A conjecture concerning degenerate modular directions is stated together with a necessary falsifiable condition. This document is exploratory in nature and has not been peer reviewed.
We analyze some features of the entanglement entropy for an integer quantum Hall state ($\ensuremath{\nu}=1$) in comparison with ideas from relativistic field theory and noncommutative geometry. The spectrum of the modular operator, for a restricted class of states, is shown to be similar to the case of field theory or a type III1 von Neumann algebra. We present arguments that the main part of the dependence of the entanglement entropy on background fields and geometric data such as the spin connection is given by a generalized Chern-Simons form. Implications of this result for bringing together ideas of noncommutative geometry, entropy and gravity are briefly commented upon.
An early result of algebraic quantum field theory is that the algebra of any subregion in a QFT is a von Neumann factor of type III _{1} 1 , in which entropy cannot be well-defined because such algebras do not admit a trace or density states. However, associated to the algebra is a modular group of automorphisms characterizing the local dynamics of degrees of freedom in the region, and the crossed product of the algebra with its modular group yields a type II _∞ ∞ factor, in which traces and hence von Neumann entropy can be well-defined. In this work, we generalize recent constructions of the crossed product algebra for the TFD to, in principle, arbitrary spacetime regions in arbitrary QFTs, formally paving the way to the study of entanglement entropy without UV divergences. In contrast to previous works, we emphasize that this construction is independent of gravity. In this sense, the crossed product construction represents a refinement of Haag’s assignment of nets of observable algebras to spacetime regions by providing a natural construction of a type II factor. We present several concrete examples: a QFT in Rindler space, a CFT in an open ball of Minkowski space, and arbitrary boundary subregions in AdS/CFT. In the holographic setting, we provide a novel argument for why the bulk dual must be the entanglement wedge, and discuss the distinction arising from boundary modular flow between causal and entanglement wedges for excited states and disjoint regions.
In the framework of Algebraic Quantum Field Theory, several operator algebraic notions of entanglement entropy can be associated with any pair of causally disjoint spacetime regions SA and SB with positive relative distance. Among them, the canonical entanglement entropy is defined as the von Neumann entropy of a canonical intermediate type I factor. In this work, we show that the canonical entanglement entropy of the vacuum state is finite for a broad class of conformal nets including the U(1)-current model and the SU(n)-loop group models. Since previous studies suggest that this finiteness property is related to nuclearity properties of the system, we show that the mutual information is finite in any local QFT satisfying a modular p-nuclearity condition for some 0<p<1. A similar finiteness result is established for another notion of entanglement entropy introduced in this paper. We conclude with remarks for future work in this direction.
Baudot and Bennequin introduced a cohomological construction adapted to information theory, called \emph{information cohomology}; it characterizes Shannon entropy as the only nontrivial cohomology class in degree one, for suitable coefficients. This text develops the relation between information cohomology and topos theory. To this end, we redefine information structures, as categories of random variables related by a notion of extension or refinement; classical and quantum probability spaces appear as models (or representations) of them. These generalized information structures form a category with finite products and coproducts. Information cohomology is a derived functor in the abelian category of modules over an algebra of random variables, a subcategory of the presheaf topos associated with the information structure. The cohomology is invariant under isomorphisms of generalized structures. We prove that the relatively free bar construction gives a projective object for the computation of this invariant. We provide detailed computations of H0 and H1 when the coefficients are functionals of classical probabilities, including the degenerate cases. In the process, we also establish the homological nature of Tsallis entropies, as the only cocycles in degree one for certain one-parameter family of modules.