Abstract: Entanglement entropies are well-studied in holographic field theories thanks to the Ryu-Takayanagi formula. Bit threads offer a conceptually and technically powerful new way to think about this formula. In this talk, after introducing bit threads, we will use them to give a new understanding of the so-called monogamy property of holographic entropies. The resulting picture will lead to an … Read More

Abstract: Two-dimensional conformal field theory is usually quantized by the so-called radial quantization. However, this is not the only way. As a matter of fact, there are two other distinctive choices for the time foliation, or equivalently, the Hamiltonian. One of these choices yields the continuous Virasoro algebra, while the other choice leads to the Virasoro algebra on a torus. … Read More

Abstract: It has been understood for some time now that many highlights of Lie theory, such as the representation-theoretic theory of special functions, or the Kazhdan–Lusztig theory, have a natural extension to a much broader setting, the boundaries of which are yet to be explored. In this extension, the focus is shifting from a group G to various classes of … Read More

Abstract: I will describe how topological entanglement of Chern-Simons theory is captured in a string theoretic realization. The Chern-Simons theory will be realized as the worldvolume dynamics of topological D-branes in the topological A-model string theory on a Calabi-Yau target. Via the open/closed topological string duality one can map this theory onto a pure closed topological A-model string. We will … Read More

Abstract: In these two talks, we will give an introduction to the replica trick and the use of defect CFT techniques for computing entanglement entropy in a general field theory. We will discuss how one can compute shape variations of the entanglement entropy using the displacement operator. This leads us naturally to consider second shape variations of the entanglement entropy, … Read More

Abstract: In these two talks, we will give an introduction to the replica trick and the use of defect CFT techniques for computing entanglement entropy in a general field theory. We will discuss how one can compute shape variations of the entanglement entropy using the displacement operator. This leads us naturally to consider second shape variations of the entanglement entropy, … Read More

Abstract: I will discuss the possibility that certain high-energy holographic CFT states correspond to black hole microstates with a geometrical behind-the-horizon region, modelled by a portion of a second asymptotic region terminating at an end-of-the-world (ETW) brane. The ETW boundary geometry takes the form of a closed FRW spacetime, and, in many cases, this behind-the-horizon physics can be probed directly … Read More