A note on electromagnetic edge modes

Abstract

We give an intuitive identification for the electromagnetic edge modes as virtual spinon excitations in quantum spin liquids. Depending on the statistics, these edge modes could be effectively described by the $\beta \gamma$ or $bc$ conformal field theory. As an example, we show how such a description may reconcile the discrepancy on the logarithmic coefficient of the entanglement entropy on a sphere. Also we give some comments on the possibility of a topological term in the entanglement entropy.

10 pages; corrected the statements on the trivial and magnetic center, added comments on the topological term

References in corpus (6)

• Towards a derivation of holographic entanglement entropy
• Pyrochlore Photons: The U(1) Spin Liquid in a S=1/2 Three-Dimensional Frustrated Magnet
• Bosonic Many-body Theory of Quantum Spin Ice
• Entanglement entropy of a Maxwell field on the sphere
• Entanglement entropy for even spheres
• Hagedorn transition and topological entanglement entropy

Cited by in corpus (3)

• Entanglement Entropy in (3+1)-d Free $U(1)$ Gauge Theory
• On the logarithmic coefficient of the entanglement entropy of a Maxwell field
• Hagedorn transition and topological entanglement entropy