Entanglement C-functions of defects and interfaces in $\mathcal{N}=4$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory

Abstract

We consider planar codimension-one defects and interfaces in $\mathcal{N}=4$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills (SYM) theory, realized by the D3/D5-brane intersection. Working in the probe limit, where the number of D5-branes is small compared to the number of D3-branes, we obtain analytic results for the holographic entanglement entropy of a ball-shaped region centered on the defect. A defect renormalization group flow is triggered by giving the defect hypermultiplets a mass, which corresponds to separating the D3- and D5-branes. Along this flow the entanglement C-function decreases monotonically. We also allow the D5-branes to carry worldvolume flux corresponding to dissolved D3-branes, in which case the setup describes an interface between two copies of $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM theory with different gauge groups, where an RG flow is triggered by placing one side of the interface onto the Coulomb branch. Here we again find monotonic behavior of the entanglement C-function, although its interpretation as a measure of effective degrees of freedom is problematic. We investigate possible alternative measures of degrees of freedom.

41 pages + appendices, 12 figures, published version

References in corpus (76)

• Gauge Theory Correlators from Non-Critical String Theory
• Aspects of Holographic Entanglement Entropy
• The Holographic Weyl anomaly
• Holographic Reconstruction of Spacetime and Renormalization in the AdS/CFT Correspondence
• Towards a derivation of holographic entanglement entropy
• Generalized gravitational entropy
• Adding flavor to AdS/CFT
• On Renormalization Group Flows in Four Dimensions
• S-Duality of Boundary Conditions In N=4 Super Yang-Mills Theory
• Locally Localized Gravity
• Holographic c-theorems in arbitrary dimensions
• Open and Closed String Interpretation of SUSY CFT's on Branes with Boundaries
• Towards the F-Theorem: N=2 Field Theories on the Three-Sphere
• Brane Dynamics From the Born-Infeld Action
• Geometric Classification of Conformal Anomalies in Arbitrary Dimensions
• A finite entanglement entropy and the c-theorem
• On the RG running of the entanglement entropy of a circle
• Holography and Defect Conformal Field Theories
• Supersymmetric Boundary Conditions in N=4 Super Yang-Mills Theory
• Exact half-BPS Type IIB interface solutions I: Local solution and supersymmetric Janus
• Conformal Anomaly Of Submanifold Observables In AdS/CFT Correspondence
• A refinement of entanglement entropy and the number of degrees of freedom
• On the Boundary Entropy of One-dimensional Quantum Systems at Low Temperature
• AdS/CFT Duals of Topological Black Holes and the Entropy of Zero-Energy States
• Branes in AdS and pp-wave spacetimes
• Four-Dimensional Superconformal Theories with Interacting Boundaries or Defects
• Entanglement Entropy, Trace Anomalies and Holography
• Holographic Renormalization of Probe D-Branes in AdS/CFT
• A Constraint on Defect and Boundary Renormalization Group Flows
• Central Charges for BCFTs and Holography
• Markov property of the CFT vacuum and the a-theorem
• The g-theorem and quantum information theory
• Holography, Entanglement Entropy, and Conformal Field Theories with Boundaries or Defects
• Quantum Hall Effect in a Holographic Model
• Towards a $C$-theorem in defect CFT
• Branes And Supergroups
• Universal Entanglement and Boundary Geometry in Conformal Field Theory
• Probing renormalization group flows using entanglement entropy
• On Holographic Defect Entropy
• Bubbling Defect CFT's
• Chiral Symmetry Breaking, Deconfinement and Entanglement Monotonicity
• From the Weyl Anomaly to Entropy of Two-Dimensional Boundaries and Defects
• Displacement Operators and Constraints on Boundary Central Charges
• Weyl anomaly for Wilson surfaces
• Relative entropy and the RG flow
• Irreversibility in quantum field theories with boundaries
• On shape dependence of holographic mutual information in AdS4
• Expectation values of chiral primary operators in holographic interface CFT
• Notes on entanglement wedge cross sections
• Chiral primary one-point functions in the D3-D7 defect conformal field theory
• Holographic flavor on the Higgs branch
• Irreversibility, QNEC, and defects
• Weyl Anomalies of Four Dimensional Conformal Boundaries and Defects
• Entanglement Entropy for Probe Branes
• Entanglement entropy at holographic interfaces
• Boundary Entropy Can Increase Under Bulk RG Flow
• The entropic $g$-theorem in general spacetime dimension
• Holographic entanglement entropy from probe M-theory branes
• Wilson Surface Central Charge from Holographic Entanglement Entropy
• Mesons and Higgs branch in defect theories
• Generalized gravitational entropy of probe branes: flavor entanglement holographically
• D3-D5 theories with unquenched flavors
• Universal relations for holographic interfaces
• Supersymmetric D3/D5 for massive defects on curved space
• Anisotropic D3-D5 black holes with unquenched flavors
• Universal Behavior of Entanglement Entropies in Interface CFTs from General Holographic Spacetimes
• Gravity dual of a multilayer system
• Entanglement of heavy quark impurities and generalized gravitational entropy
• Boundary conformal invariants and the conformal anomaly in five dimensions
• Entanglement entropy and differential entropy for massive flavors
• Splitting interfaces in 4d $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM
• Holographic Entanglement Entropy of the Coulomb Branch
• Flavored ABJM theory on the sphere and holographic F-functions
• Flavored anisotropic black holes
• Comparing top-down and bottom-up holographic defects and boundaries
• Flavors of entanglement