Spatially structured entanglement from nonequilibrium thermal pure states

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Authors: Chen Bai, Mao Tian Tan, Bastien Lapierre, Shinsei Ryu
Cited by: 1
References: 94

Abstract

We study quantum quench dynamics in (1+1)-dimensional critical systems, starting from thermal pure states called crosscap states, and evolving them under spatially inhomogeneous Hamiltonians. The spatial inhomogeneity is introduced through a deformation of the Hamiltonian, expressed as linear combinations of the generators of the $SL^{(q)}(2,\mathbb{R})$ subalgebra of the Virasoro algebra. We analyze the free massless Dirac fermion theory and holographic conformal field theory as prototypical examples of integrable and non-integrable dynamics. Consistent with general expectations, "Möbius-type" deformations lead to thermalization in the non-integrable case, and to periodic revivals in the integrable one. In contrast, "sine-square-type" and "displacement-type" deformations prevent both thermalization and scrambling, instead producing late-time, graph-like entanglement patterns. These patterns emerge from the interplay between the deformed Hamiltonian and the crosscap initial state and appear to be universal: they are determined solely by the deformation profile while remaining largely insensitive to microscopic details. Finally, we perform a holographic calculation in three-dimensional gravity using AdS$_3$/CFT$_2$, which reproduces the main features of our (1+1)-dimensional study.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Quantum many-body systems Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics Quantum Information and Cryptography

Publication details

Journal / source
Physical review. B./Physical review. B
Publisher
American Physical Society (APS)
Volume
113
Issue
6
Publication date
27 January 2026
Language
EN