Universal corner entanglement from twist operators

Abstract

The entanglement entropy in three-dimensional conformal field theories (CFTs) receives a logarithmic contribution characterized by a regulator-independent function $a(θ)$ when the entangling surface contains a sharp corner with opening angle $θ$. In the limit of a smooth surface ($θ\rightarrowπ$), this corner contribution vanishes as $a(θ)=σ\,(θ-π)^2$. In arXiv:1505.04804, we provided evidence for the conjecture that for any $d=3$ CFT, this corner coefficient $σ$ is determined by $C_T$, the coefficient appearing in the two-point function of the stress tensor. Here, we argue that this is a particular instance of a much more general relation connecting the analogous corner coefficient $σ_n$ appearing in the $n$th Rényi entropy and the scaling dimension $h_n$ of the corresponding twist operator. In particular, we find the simple relation $h_n/σ_n=(n-1)π$. We show how it reduces to our previous result as $n\rightarrow 1$, and explicitly check its validity for free scalars and fermions. With this new relation, we show that as $n\rightarrow 0$, $σ_n$ yields the coefficient of the thermal entropy, $c_S$. We also reveal a surprising duality relating the corner coefficients of the scalar and the fermion. Further, we use our result to predict $σ_n$ for holographic CFTs dual to four-dimensional Einstein gravity. Our findings generalize to other dimensions, and we emphasize the connection to the interval Rényi entropies of $d=2$ CFTs.