REVIEW
Geometric and Renormalized Entropy in Conformal Field Theory
High Energy Physics - Theory · Submitted 18 Mar 1994 · 16 references
Pith's verdict: This is the paper that pins down the exact (c+c̄)/6 coefficient for the logarithmic divergence of geometric entropy, and the moving-mirror renormalized entropy is a real, checkable result rather than a fit.
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Referee report
The paper
The paper claims
Geometric entropy in a 1+1 conformal field theory diverges logarithmically with the ultraviolet cutoff, but the difference between two states stays finite, and for a moving mirror that difference reproduces the thermal entropy of Hawking辐射.
The reading
What carries the argument
The machinery is the conformal mapping of the traced-over region onto a strip, followed by a replica trick: the $n$-th power of the reduced density matrix is a partition function on a torus of circumference proportional to $n$, and $S = (1 - n, d/dn)_{n=1} ln Z(n)$. A modular transformation $tau to -1/tau$ swaps the cycles of that torus, converting a sum over all highly excited multi-particle states into a single vacuum contribution proportional to $c+bar c$, which is what makes the general-${cal C}$ result exact rather than merely leading. The same coefficient reappears from the trace anomaly: rescaling the cutoff and using $langle T^mu_{ mu} rangle propto c$ times the curvature of the cone with opening $2pi n$ gives $partial S / partial ln epsilon = -(c+bar c)/6$. For the mirror, the map $z to f(z)$ that straightens the trajectory does all the work, and the anomalous transformation law of $T(z)$ supplies both the radiated flux and the entropy.
Extended reading notes
Core claim
The central result is a pair of formulas. First, for any conformal field theory in 1+1 dimensions the geometric entropy of an interval relative to the vacuum is $S = frac{c+bar c}{6} ln(Sigma/epsilon)$, with the coefficient fixed by the central charge and corrections vanishing as the cutoff is removed. Second, for a state created by a perfectly reflecting mirror moving along $bar z = f(z)$, the entropy relative to the stationary-mirror vacuum is $S_{rm ren} = frac{c}{12} ln!left[ frac{(f(z_2)-f(z_1))^2}{(z_2-z_1)^2, f'(z_1) f'(z_2)} right]$, which is independent of the smearing and finite as the cutoff goes to zero. Applied to the trajectory $U = c_1 + c_2 e^{-u/4M}$ that models collapse to a Schwarzschild black hole, this gives, for intervals long compared with $8M$, $S_{rm ren} approx frac{pi}{6}(u_2-u_1) cdot frac{1}{8pi M}$ — exactly the entropy a thermal gas at temperature $T = 1/(8pi M)$ would carry. The authors also rewrite the result as $S_{rm ren} = -frac{1}{24} ln(C/C_0)$, where $C$ is the two-point correlation of the observed energy-momentum tensor and $C_0$ its vacuum value, so the entropy measures excess correlations in the radiation rather than a count of particles.
Load-bearing premise
The subtraction that defines the renormalized entropy assumes the ultraviolet-divergent part of the geometric entropy is the same for every state, so that subtracting the vacuum value leaves something finite and physically meaningful; the paper demonstrates this for the conformal mirror states, where the map from the moving to the stationary mirror is exact, but for a general excited state it is asserted rather than derived.
Editorial extensions
If this is right
- The coefficient of the logarithmic divergence in geometric entropy is fixed by the central charge of the theory, so any 1+1 conformal field theory has the same universal short-distance entropy law regardless of its detailed field content.
- For a mirror trajectory that asymptotes to the Schwarzschild form, the renormalized geometric entropy of a long interval equals the thermodynamic entropy of Hawking radiation at $T = 1/(8pi M)$, giving a microscopic derivation of that entropy rather than an assumption of thermality.
- The renormalized entropy is not additive and not locally positive: it can shrink as the interval is enlarged, and it can go negative when the observed state is more ordered than the vacuum.
- Trajectories that produce no Hawking radiation, such as the extremal Reissner-Nordstrom form $U = c_1 + c_2 u - c_3$, give vanishing renormalized entropy, and a mirror that returns to rest drives the entropy rapidly back to zero even after a long thermal period.
- Because the divergent part is state-independent, the difference between the geometric entropies of any two low-energy states of a conformal theory is a finite, cutoff-independent quantity.
Reading between the lines
- If the renormalized entropy really is the right bookkeeping quantity, then the standard argument that a pure state evolving into apparently thermal radiation violates quantum mechanics loses much of its force: the thermal appearance is a reflection of vacuum correlations across the horizon, not a genuine loss of information.
- The identification $S_{rm ren} = -frac{1}{24} ln(C/C_0)$ suggests a general diagnostic: for any state of a conformal theory, compute the ratio of the observed two-point stress-tensor correlation to its vacuum value and read off an entropy. Whether this survives away from the mirror setting is an open test.
- The result hints that entropy in field theory should be treated as a relational quantity tied to a choice of region and a choice of reference state, rather than as an extensive substance carried by the state alone — a view with consequences for how horizon entropy is counted in more realistic settings.
- The paper's own caveat about prescribed mirror motion means the energy budget of evaporation is not accounted for; a version of the calculation in which the mirror recoils would be the natural next check of whether the entropy really returns to zero at the end of evaporation.
Original abstract
In statistical physics, useful notions of entropy are defined with respect to some coarse graining procedure over a microscopic model. Here we consider some special problems that arise when the microscopic model is taken to be relativistic quantum field theory. These problems are associated with the existence of an infinite number of degrees of freedom per unit volume. Because of these the microscopic entropy can, and typically does, diverge for sharply localized states. However the difference in the entropy between two such states is better behaved, and for most purposes it is the useful quantity to consider. In particular, a renormalized entropy can be defined as the entropy relative to the ground state. We make these remarks quantitative and precise in a simple model situation: the states of a conformal quantum field theory excited by a moving mirror. From this work, we attempt to draw some lessons concerning the ``information problem'' in black hole physics
The compiled record
The paper's own sentences, arranged, kept beside the review and separate from it. Each label is drawn from a closed vocabulary; the number beside it is the probability the classifier gave that label. Numbers in the tables are the authors', checked by code. No sentence in this record was written by a model.
The abstract, sentence by sentence
In statistical physics, useful notions of entropy are defined with respect to some coarse graining procedure over a microscopic model. Here we consider some special problems that arise when the microscopic model is taken to be relativistic quantum field theory. These problems are associated with the existence of an infinite number of degrees of freedom per unit volume. Because of these the microscopic entropy can, and typically does, diverge for sharply localized states. However the difference in the entropy between two such states is better behaved, and for most purposes it is the useful quantity to consider. In particular, a renormalized entropy can be defined as the entropy relative to the ground state. We make these remarks quantitative and precise in a simple model situation: the states of a conformal quantum field theory excited by a moving mirror. From this work, we attempt to draw some lessons concerning the ``information problem'' in black hole physics
background contribution method result interpretation main claim
| # | sentence | role | the authors' own work | states the main conclusion | strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s0 | In statistical physics, useful notions of entropy are defined with respect to some coarse graining procedure over a microscopic model. | background 1.00 | 0.04 | 0.03 | asserted 1.00 |
| s1 | Here we consider some special problems that arise when the microscopic model is taken to be relativistic quantum field theory. | background 0.66 | 0.48 | 0.02 | asserted 0.89 |
| s2 | These problems are associated with the existence of an infinite number of degrees of freedom per unit volume. | background 1.00 | 0.07 | 0.03 | asserted 1.00 |
| s3 | Because of these the microscopic entropy can, and typically does, diverge for sharply localized states. | background 0.97 | 0.12 | 0.06 | asserted 0.61 |
| s4 | However the difference in the entropy between two such states is better behaved, and for most purposes it is the useful quantity to consider. | background 0.54 | 0.16 | 0.12 | asserted 0.83 |
| s5 | In particular, a renormalized entropy can be defined as the entropy relative to the ground state. | background 0.46 | 0.34 | 0.13 | asserted 0.95 |
| s6 | We make these remarks quantitative and precise in a simple model situation: the states of a conformal quantum field theory excited by a moving mirror. | method 0.86 | 0.85 | 0.07 | asserted 0.93 |
| s7 | From this work, we attempt to draw some lessons concerning the ``information problem'' in black hole physics | interpretation 0.83 | 0.39 | 0.22 | unclear 0.47 |
What was examined, and what was not
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References
How later papers used it
627 later papers cite it
13 later papers by other authors are listed below: 9 used its method or tool and 4 compared their own results with it.
Uses its method or tool 9 of 56 papers with this label
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Used a technique introduced by this paper involving the trace anomaly.
Sine-Gordon Theory : Entanglement entropy and holography (2016) · 1.00 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
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Computed the Rényi entropy from the replica trick of this paper on the θ-direction.
Quantum Correction of the Wilson Line and Entanglement Entropy in the Pure AdS$_3$ Einstein Gravity Theory (2019) · 0.99 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
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Calculated the Rényi entropy from the replica trick of this paper.
U(1) CS Theory vs SL(2) CS Formulation: Boundary Theory and Wilson Line (2020) · 0.99 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
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Used the replica trick often given as this paper to compute the von Neumann entanglement entropy.
Entanglement in interacting quenched two-body coupled oscillator system (2022) · 0.98 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
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Used the replica trick of this paper to compute, since a reduced density matrix is lost in QFT.
AdS$_3$ Einstein Gravity and Boundary Description: Pedagogical Review (2023) · 0.98 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
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Introduced the renormalized (or relative) entanglement as a regularized entropy of this paper for the reduced density operator of A.
The entropic boundary law in BF theory (2008) · 0.94 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
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Specifically, for $N$ free scalar fields, the renormalised entropy of the right-moving radiation collected by a distant observer over a retarded-time interval $[u_1,u_2]$ is governed by the Holzhey-Larsen-Wilczek (HLW) [ref] /Fiola-Preskill-Strominger-Trivedi (FPST) [ref] formula:
Anomaly quenching and dynamical cooling of Hawking evaporation in Horndeski gravity (2026) · Entanglement Entropy of the Hawking Radiation · 0.80
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Introduced geometric entropy characterizing entanglement of the outgoing fields inside an interval with anything outside it, following this paper.
Dilaton gravity with a boundary: from unitarity to black hole evaporation (2020) · 0.86 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
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Calculated the central charge for open boundary conditions following this paper from the underlying CFT.
Multicriticality in stochastic dynamics protected by self-duality (2025) · 0.86 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
Compares with it 4 of 32 papers with this label
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Found its own result identical to the universal value of the mutual information for adjacent intervals in a conformal field theory given by this paper, identifying a quantity with the UV cutoff.
$T\bar{T}$, the entanglement wedge cross section, and the breakdown of the split property (2020) · 0.99 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
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The two are related by a rotation of the polar axis, $θ_std=π2 - θ$, so that $sinθ_0$ appearing in those references is replaced by $cosθ_0$ throughout this work, with no change in the underlying physics.] [ref] [equation] The comparison tells us that the central charge of the CFT$_2$ dual to the wedge $W_4$ takes the imaginary value [equation] which agrees with the value [ref] inferred from the partition function.
Effective dynamics and quantum information in de Sitter wedge holography (2026) · Holographic entanglement entropy · 0.98
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Checked that its own final results reproduce those of this paper as a special case when the interface is absent.
Entanglement through conformal interfaces (2008) · 0.97 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
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Obtained the entanglement entropy, reproducing the well-known result of this paper.
Liouville Action as Path-Integral Complexity: From Continuous Tensor Networks to AdS/CFT (2017) · 0.91 · paraphrased: the licence does not allow quoting
How the literature uses it
391 arXiv papers cite this in 568 sentences
Papers citing it · 333 sentences without a confident label
Builds on it 3 papers
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This generalizes the results of [ref] to a case with symmetries different from that of a conformal theory, and appropriate comparisons with a CFT$_2$ will be made along the way.
Entanglement Entropy in Warped Conformal Field Theories · Rindler method · 0.99
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In order to carry out the analysis independently of the boundary conditions, it is desirable to generalize the analysis in [ref] based on the conformal invariance to our case with interfaces.
Entanglement through conformal interfaces · Introduction · 0.97
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In this case Eq. ([ref]) is likely to result in a finite difference of entanglement entropies between the squeezed vacua $|J_1⟩$ and $|J_2⟩$, therefore providing a generalization of the results derived in [ref] .
Entanglement entropy of squeezed vacua on a lattice · Discussion · 0.94
Uses its method or tool 37 papers
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The central charge is obtained from the prefactor of the logarithmic contribution [ref] to the bipartite entanglement entropy [ref] .
Precursor of Laughlin state of hard core bosons on a two leg ladder · Phases from central charge and vortex number · 0.96
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We use the standard “replica” approach to compute the entropy [ref] .
Topological Entanglement Entropy in Chern-Simons Theories and Quantum Hall Fluids · Introduction · 0.99
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We use a technique introduced by Holzhey, Larsen and Wilczek (HLW) [ref] involving the trace anomaly.
Sine-Gordon Theory : Entanglement entropy and holography · Introduction · 1.00
Compares with it 24 papers
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We can compare equation [ref] with the standard result for a CFT$_2$ on $S^2$ with a central charge $c$, given by [ We use the angular convention $ds^2=dθ^2+cos^2θ dΩ_d-2^2$, rather than $ds^2=dθ^2+sin^2θ dΩ_d-2^2$ adopted in [ref] .
Effective dynamics and quantum information in de Sitter wedge holography · Holographic entanglement entropy · 0.97
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This precisely matches $2 S_3-2α(ρ_A)$ which was computed in [ref] .
R\'enyi Mutual Information in Quantum Field Theory · Introduction · 0.98
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This scaling form is almost identical to the celebrated EE result [ref] , upon substituting $c/3$ with $b/4$.
Shannon and R\'enyi mutual information in quantum critical spin chains · Introduction · 1.00
Cites it as support 5 papers
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Entropy [ref] is well behaved and there is no information loss.
Schwarzschild Metric with Planck Length · Planck · 0.99
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There is also a fair amount of evidence to support this conjecture [ref] : * As shown in [ref] , it reproduces precisely the entanglement entropy of a $d=2$ CFT for an interval of length $ℓ$ on a circle of circumference $2πR$ [ref]
On Holographic Entanglement Entropy and Higher Curvature Gravity · Introduction · 0.96
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For the half line in a 2d CFT, it is a fact that $c_n$ is indeed independent of $n$ [ref] .
Analyticity of replica correlators and Modular ETH · 2d CFT · 0.98
Cites it as background 145 papers
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In this regard, a major breakthrough came from Ryu and Takayanagi [ref] who discovered a precise relationship between geometry, in the form of minimal-area surfaces, to entanglement entropy, a central concept in quantum information [ref] .
Entanglement Entropy and Subregion Complexity in Thermal Perturbations around Pure-AdS Spacetime · Introduction · 0.96
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The technology to compute entanglement entropy is best developed in the case of 1+1 dimensional CFTs [ref] (, [ref] for earlier work and [ref] for generalizations to integrable non-conformal systems).
Holographic entanglement entropy for disconnected regions · Introduction · 0.92
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As predicted by conformal field theory (CFT) [ref] , $(1+1)$-dimensional critical systems host a sub-extensive entanglement structure with logarithmic growing EE [ref] .
A critical state under weak measurement is not critical · Introduction · 0.89
Discussion
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