Constraining Quantum Fields using Modular Theory

TL;DR

This paper uses modular theory to derive new constraints on correlation functions in quantum field theory, introducing a Renyi family of measures that generalize known quantum information inequalities and explore their implications.

Contribution

It constructs a Renyi family from the relative modular operator in quantum field theory, establishing new monotonicity-based correlation constraints and proposing a generalization of the quantum null energy condition.

Findings

Derived new inequalities for correlation functions in quantum field theory.

Proved monotonicity of the Renyi family of measures including the sandwiched Renyi divergence.

Conjectured a non-negative second null derivative of Renyi divergence as a generalization of the quantum null energy condition.

Abstract

Tomita-Takesaki modular theory provides a set of algebraic tools in quantum field theory that is suitable for the study of the information-theoretic properties of states. For every open set in spacetime and choice of two states, the modular theory defines a positive operator known as the relative modular operator that decreases monotonically under restriction to subregions. We study the consequences of this operator monotonicity inequality for correlation functions in quantum field theory. We do so by constructing a one-parameter Renyi family of information-theoretic measures from the relative modular operator that inherit monotonicity by construction and reduce to correlation functions in special cases. In the case of finite quantum systems, this Renyi family is the sandwiched Renyi divergence and we obtain a new simple proof of its monotonicity. Its monotonicity implies a class of constraints on correlation functions in quantum field theory, only a small set of which were known to us. We explore these inequalities for free fields and conformal field theory. We conjecture that the second null derivative of Renyi divergence is non-negative which is a generalization of the quantum null energy condition to the Renyi family.