Renormalized entropy of entanglement in relativistic field theory

TL;DR

This paper introduces a coarse-graining approach to resolve the divergence of entanglement entropy in relativistic quantum fields, linking it to nonrelativistic entanglement through a renormalized measure.

Contribution

It proposes a novel coarse-graining method to define finite entanglement entropy in relativistic fields, bridging the gap with nonrelativistic quantum systems.

Findings

Finite-energy states become localized with coarse graining.

Renormalized entropy matches nonrelativistic entanglement entropy.

Provides a conceptual link between relativistic and nonrelativistic entanglement.

Abstract

Entanglement is defined between subsystems of a quantum system, and at fixed time two regions of space can be viewed as two subsystems of a relativistic quantum field. The entropy of entanglement between such subsystems is ill-defined unless an ultraviolet cutoff is introduced, but it still diverges in the continuum limit. This behaviour is generic for arbitrary finite-energy states, hence a conceptual tension with the finite entanglement entropy typical of nonrelativistic quantum systems. We introduce a novel approach to explain the transition from infinite to finite entanglement, based on coarse graining the spatial resolution of the detectors measuring the field state. We show that states with a finite number of particles become localized, allowing an identification between a region of space and the nonrelativistic degrees of freedom of the particles therein contained, and that the renormalized entropy of finite-energy states reduces to the entanglement entropy of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics.