HEP Theory Journal Club

(Qu)Bit Threads and Holographic Entanglement

Matt Hodel

McGill

We will briefly review the Ryu-Takayanagi (RT) formula for the entanglement entropy of a boundary (CFT) subregion in terms of the area of a minimal bulk (AdS) surface. An alternate formulation of the RT formula due to Headrick and Freedman [arxiv:1604.00354] will be given in terms of new 1D objects christened "bit threads" which flow from the boundary region to (e.g.) its complement in the CFT. This dual interpretation is due to a principle called max-flow/min-cut familiar from network theory, which Headrick and Hubeny argue may have many other applications in physical contexts [arxiv:1710.09516]. Finally, I will present a new bit-threads-based proof of the monogamy of mutual information due to Headrick, Hayden et. al. (to appear), that sheds light on the information-theoretic content of the original proof using the RT law given by Hayden, Headrick, and Maloney [arxiv:1107.2940].