Large Interval Limit of R\'enyi Entropy At High Temperature

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new method to compute the large interval limit of Re9nyi entropy in 2D CFTs at high temperature, using a twist sector basis and monodromy conditions, with applications to free scalar theories.

Contribution

It develops a novel expansion technique for Re9nyi entropy at large intervals, connecting twist sector states with normal sector states, and proves a relation between thermal and entanglement entropy.

Findings

Agreement with exact partition function expansion at leading orders

Application to non-compact free scalar theory confirms the method's validity

Proves a general relation between thermal and entanglement entropy for discrete spectrum CFTs

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a novel expansion to compute the large interval limit of the R\'enyi entropy of 2D CFT at high temperature. Via the replica trick, the single interval R\'enyi entropy of 2D CFT at finite temperature could be read from the partition function on $n$-sheeted torus connected with each other along a branch cut. We calculate the partition function by inserting a complete basis across the branch cut. Because of the monodromy condition across the branch cut in the large interval limit, the basis of the states should be the ones in the twist sector. We study the twist sector of a general module of CFT and find that there is an one-to-one correspondence between the twist sector states and the normal sector states. As an application, we revisit the non-compact free scalar theory and discuss the large interval limit of the R\'enyi entropy of this theory by using our proposal. We find complete agreement in the leading and next-leading orders with direct expansion of the exact partition function. Moreover, we prove the relation (\ref{th}) between thermal entropy and the entanglement entropy for a generic CFT with discrete spectrum.