Talk 67 - Irreversibility, QNEC, and defects

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:23070009,
            doi = {10.48660/23070009},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/23070009},
            author = {Torroba, Gonzalo},
            keywords = {Quantum Fields and Strings, Quantum Foundations, Quantum Information},
            language = {en},
            title = {Talk 67 - Irreversibility, QNEC, and defects},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2023},
            month = {jul},
            note = {PIRSA:23070009 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }
          

Abstract

In this talk, we will first present an analysis of infinitesimal null deformations for the entanglement entropy, which leads to a major simplification of the proof of the C, F and A-theorems in quantum field theory. Next, we will discuss the quantum null energy condition (QNEC) on the light-cone. Finally, we combine these tools in order to establish the irreversibility of renormalization group flows on planar d-dimensional defects, embedded in D-dimensional conformal field theories. This proof completes and unifies all known defect irreversibility theorems for defect dimensions below d=5. The F-theorem on defects (d=3) is a new result using information-theoretic methods. The geometric construction connects the proof of irreversibility with and without defects through the QNEC inequality in the bulk, and makes contact with the proof of strong subadditivity of holographic entropy taking into account quantum corrections.