Operator algebra, quantum entanglement, and emergent geometry from matrix degrees of freedom

TL;DR

This paper explores how gravitational geometry emerges from matrix degrees of freedom in quantum field theories, linking operator algebra, quantum entanglement, and emergent spacetime structures, with implications for holography and wormhole physics.

Contribution

It introduces a unified framework connecting matrix eigenvalues and quantum entanglement as mechanisms for emergent geometry in holographic theories.

Findings

Bulk wave packet describes emergent geometry from entanglement.

Operator algebra can be constructed for arbitrary bulk regions.

Connection between matrix eigenvalues, entanglement, and wormhole geometry.

Abstract

For matrix model and QFT, we discuss how dual gravitational geometry emerges from matrix degrees of freedom (specifically, adjoint scalars in super Yang-Mills theory) and how operator algebra that describes an arbitrary region of the bulk geometry can be constructed. We pay attention to the subtle difference between the notions of wave packets that describe low-energy excitations: QFT wave packet associated with the spatial dimensions of QFT, matrix wave packet associated with the emergent dimensions from matrix degrees of freedom, and bulk wave packet which is a combination of QFT and matrix wave packets. In QFT, there is an intriguing interplay between QFT wave packet and matrix wave packet that connects quantum entanglement and emergent geometry. We propose that the bulk wave packet is the physical object in QFT that describes the emergent geometry from entanglement. This proposal sets a unified view on two seemingly different mechanisms of holographic emergent geometry: one based on matrix eigenvalues and the other based on quantum entanglement. Further intuition comes from the similarity to a traversable wormhole discussed as the dual description of the coupled SYK model by Maldacena and Qi: the bulk can be seen as an eternal traversable wormhole connecting boundary regions.