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Geometric entropy and edge modes of the electromagnetic field

5 Pith papers cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.

5 Pith papers citing it
abstract

We calculate the vacuum entanglement entropy of Maxwell theory in a class of curved spacetimes by Kaluza-Klein reduction of the theory onto a two-dimensional base manifold. Using two-dimensional duality, we express the geometric entropy of the electromagnetic field as the entropy of a tower of scalar fields, constant electric and magnetic fluxes, and a contact term, whose leading order divergence was discovered by Kabat. The complete contact term takes the form of one negative scalar degree of freedom confined to the entangling surface. We show that the geometric entropy agrees with a statistical definition of entanglement entropy that includes edge modes: classical solutions determined by their boundary values on the entangling surface. This resolves a longstanding puzzle about the statistical interpretation of the contact term in the entanglement entropy. We discuss the implications of this negative term for black hole thermodynamics and the renormalization of Newton's constant.

citation-role summary

background 2 method 1

citation-polarity summary

fields

hep-th 5

years

2026 1 2025 4

verdicts

UNVERDICTED 5

representative citing papers

Gravitons on Nariai Edges

hep-th · 2025-06-02 · unverdicted · novelty 6.0

The one-loop graviton path integral on S² × S^{d-1} factorizes into a bulk thermal graviton gas partition function in Nariai geometry and an edge contribution from shift-symmetric fields on S^{d-1}.

De Sitter Horizon Edge Partition Functions

hep-th · 2025-01-29 · unverdicted · novelty 5.0

Edge partition functions for totally symmetric tensors in dS_{d+1} are decomposed under so(d), with the linearized gravity case receiving contributions from shift-symmetric fields on S^{d-1} suggesting an embedded brane interpretation.

citing papers explorer

Showing 5 of 5 citing papers.

  • Horizon Edge Partition Functions in $\Lambda>0$ Quantum Gravity hep-th · 2026-03-21 · unverdicted · none · ref 48 · internal anchor

    Horizon edge mode spectra in de Sitter and Nariai spacetimes exhibit universal shift symmetries that produce novel symmetry breaking in one-loop partition functions.

  • Cosmological Entanglement Entropy from the von Neumann Algebra of Double-Scaled SYK & Its Connection with Krylov Complexity hep-th · 2025-11-05 · unverdicted · none · ref 252 · internal anchor

    Algebraic entanglement entropy from type II1 algebras in double-scaled SYK is matched via triple-scaling limits to Ryu-Takayanagi areas in (A)dS2, reproducing Bekenstein-Hawking and Gibbons-Hawking formulas for specific regions while depending on Krylov complexity of the Hartle-Hawking state.

  • Gravitons on Nariai Edges hep-th · 2025-06-02 · unverdicted · none · ref 44 · internal anchor

    The one-loop graviton path integral on S² × S^{d-1} factorizes into a bulk thermal graviton gas partition function in Nariai geometry and an edge contribution from shift-symmetric fields on S^{d-1}.

  • Minimal Factorization of Chern-Simons Theory -- Gravitational Anyonic Edge Modes hep-th · 2025-05-01 · unverdicted · none · ref 9 · internal anchor

    Minimal edge modes compatible with Chern-Simons topological invariance are proposed as quantum group particles, yielding a factorization of 3d gravity state space that matches proposals linking Bekenstein-Hawking entropy to topological entanglement entropy.

  • De Sitter Horizon Edge Partition Functions hep-th · 2025-01-29 · unverdicted · none · ref 42 · internal anchor

    Edge partition functions for totally symmetric tensors in dS_{d+1} are decomposed under so(d), with the linearized gravity case receiving contributions from shift-symmetric fields on S^{d-1} suggesting an embedded brane interpretation.