Non-Abelian symmetry can increase entanglement entropy

TitleNon-Abelian symmetry can increase entanglement entropy
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2023
AuthorsMajidy, S, Lasek, A, Huse, DA, Halpern, NYunger
JournalPhysical Review B
Volume107
Date Published1/3/2023
Abstract

The pillars of quantum theory include entanglement and operators' failure to commute. The Page curve quantifies the bipartite entanglement of a many-body system in a random pure state. This entanglement is known to decrease if one constrains extensive observables that commute with each other (Abelian ``charges''). Non-Abelian charges, which fail to commute with each other, are of current interest in quantum thermodynamics. For example, noncommuting charges were shown to reduce entropy-production rates and may enhance finite-size deviations from eigenstate thermalization. Bridging quantum thermodynamics to many-body physics, we quantify the effects of charges' noncommutation -- of a symmetry's non-Abelian nature -- on Page curves. First, we construct two models that are closely analogous but differ in whether their charges commute. We show analytically and numerically that the noncommuting-charge case has more entanglement. Hence charges' noncommutation can promote entanglement.

URLhttps://arxiv.org/abs/2209.14303
DOI10.1103/physrevb.107.045102