Work

Temporal entanglement in quantum field theory

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: In this paper I propose a branch point twist field approach to computing the temporal entropy , that is, an entanglement measure across different time regions, as opposed to the usual spacial measures. Considering only the ground state of a gapped theory, I discuss how the shift to time-dependence manifests in form factor calculations. I show that the generalization of the spacial measures to temporal ones reproduces expected features of the temporal entanglement: the entropy is complex, oscillatory and reminiscent of the evolution of entanglement following a global quench. Considering the temporal von Neumann entropy, I argue that spacial and temporal entropies are two sides of the same coin. They both encapsulate universal information about the theory, in particular its mass spectrum. Also in both cases, a quasiparticle picture can be employed to interpret results. This picture connects features of the temporal entropy with those of the spacial entropy following a quantum quench.
Language: English
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7140229717
FWCI:
Cites: 54
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Related to: 10