Time-like Entanglement Entropy in AdS/BCFT

TL;DR

This paper introduces time-like entanglement entropy (TEE) in BCFT$_2$, calculated via replica methods and analytical continuation, and corroborates it with holographic results from AdS$_3$/BCFT$_2$. A novel Regge phase appears for time-like intervals, yielding a richer phase structure than the usual BCFT entanglement entropy; the holographic RT computation reproduces the field-theory phases (bulk, boundary, and Regge) with exact agreement at zero and finite temperature. The work also clarifies the role of the EOW brane and brane tension in shaping RT surfaces and boundary contributions, and suggests potential applications to quantum dots on a half-line and deeper insights into spacetime emergence and black hole interiors.

Abstract

We study the entanglement entropy for time-like subsystem in two-dimensional boundary conformal field theory (BCFT) both from the field theory and holographic point of view. In field theory, we compute the time-like entanglement entropy of a pure time-like interval at zero and finite temperature using the replica technique and analytical continuation. We find that, similar to the ordinary space-like entanglement entropy in BCFT, the time-like entropy also has a bulk phase and a boundary phase which corresponds respectively to the dominance of the identity block in the bulk and boundary OPE channels. However, we find that in Lorentzian BCFT, the time-like entanglement entropy posses a third {\it Regge phase} which arises in the Regge limit of the interval, when one endpoint of the time interval approaches the light cone of the mirror image of the other endpoint. We determine the phase diagram for the time-like entanglement entropy. We find that while the time-like entropy is complex in the bulk phase and has a boundary term in the boundary phase, there is no boundary entropy in the Regge phase. Moreover, it can be real or complex depending on which side the Regge limit is approached from. On the gravity side, we obtain the holographic time-like entanglement entropy from the corresponding bulk dual geometries and find exact agreement with the field theory results. The time-like entanglement entropy may be useful to describe the entanglement of a quantum dot on a half line.

Figures (5)

• Figure 1: Schematic of a generic interval $A$ in two dimensional BCFT.
• Figure 2: Schematic of a time-like interval in the Regge limit.
• Figure 4: RT surfaces for configuration of a time-like interval in the bulk phase.
• Figure 5: RT surfaces for configuration of a time-like interval in the Regge phase.
• Figure 6: RT surfaces for configuration of a time-like interval in the boundary phase.