Non-local order in gapless systems: Entanglement Spectrum in Spin Chains

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the entanglement spectrum can reveal non-local order in gapless spin chains, showing a finite gap in the spectrum that characterizes the ground state and relates to topological features.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to identify non-local order in gapless systems using the entanglement spectrum, linking spin chains to quantum Hall states.

Findings

Entanglement spectrum exhibits a finite gap separating specific levels.

Ground state is uniquely characterized by multiplicities in the entanglement spectrum.

Spin chain entanglement spectrum resembles that of fractional quantum Hall states.

Abstract

We show that the entanglement spectrum can be used to define non-local order in gapless spin systems. We find a gap that fully separates a series of generic, high `entanglement energy' levels, from a flat band of levels with specific multiplicities that uniquely define the ground-state, and remains finite in the thermodynamic limit. We pick the appropriate set of quantum numbers, and then partition the system in this space. This partition corresponds to a very non-local real-space cut. Despite the fact that the Laughlin state is bulk gapped while the antiferromagnetic spin chain state is bulk gapless, we show that the S=1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet in one dimension has an entanglement spectrum almost identical to that of the Laughlin Fractional Quantum Hall state in two dimensions, revealing the similar field theory of their low-energy edge and bulk excitations respectively.