arXiv subjects

Hugo A. Camargo

Publications and source records attributed to Hugo A. Camargo.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Towards a Refinement of Krylov Complexity: Scrambling, Classical Operator Growth and Replicas

We propose and test logarithmic Krylov (logK) complexity, an operator growth measure akin to Krylov complexity defined through a replica approach, as a viable probe of early-time operator scrambling without false positives. In finite-dimensional quantum systems, such as the Lipkin--Meshkov--Glick (LMG) model and the mixed-field Ising model at the chaotic point, we provide numerical evidence that logK-complexity discriminates between genuine and saddle-dominated scrambling at early times, correctly avoiding the exponential contribution coming from the unstable saddle in the former case, and closely tracking the conventional Krylov complexity in the latter. In integrable quantum systems admitting infinite-dimensional Krylov subspaces, such as the SYK$_{2}$ model and the quantum inverted harmonic oscillator, we show that by modifying the Krylov spreading operator, obtained through generalizing the analytic continuation procedure in the replica trick, the logK complexity can be refined to capture the integrable properties of the theories. We supplement these analyses by extending the Krylov formalism in classical dynamical systems and defining classical versions of these operator growth measures, showing that the false positives arising from unstable saddles in classical phase space are non-existent.

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arXiv2025

Free Probability approach to spectral and operator statistics in Rosenzweig-Porter random matrix ensembles

Utilizing the framework of free probability, we analyze the spectral and operator statistics of the Rosenzweig-Porter random matrix ensembles, which exhibit a rich phase structure encompassing ergodic, fractal, and localized regimes. Leveraging subordination formulae, we develop a perturbative scheme that yields semi-analytic expressions for the density of states up to second order in system size, in good agreement with numerical results. We compute higher-point correlation functions in the ergodic regime using both numerical and suitable analytic approximations. Our analysis of operator statistics for various spin operators across these regimes reveals close agreement with free probability predictions in the ergodic phase, in contrast to persistent deviations observed in the fractal and localized phases, even at late times. Notably, the fractal phase exhibits partial freeness while retaining memory of the initial spectrum, highlighting the importance of non-localized eigenstates and associated with the late-time dynamics of cumulative out-of-time-ordered-correlators (OTOCs). Employing distance measures and statistical tools such as the $\chi^2$ statistic, Kullback-Leibler divergence, and Kolmogorov-Smirnov hypothesis testing, we define a characteristic time scale-the free time-that marks the onset of the validity of free probability predictions for operator spectral statistics in the ergodic phase. Remarkably, our findings demonstrate consistency across these different approaches.

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arXiv2025

Krylov operator complexity in holographic CFTs: Smeared boundary reconstruction and the dual proper radial momentum

Motivated by bulk reconstruction of smeared boundary operators, we study the Krylov complexity of local and non-local primary CFT$_d$ operators from the local bulk-to-bulk propagator of a minimally-coupled massive scalar field in Rindler-AdS$_{d+1}$ space. We derive analytic and numerical evidence on how the degree of non-locality in the dual CFT$_d$ observable affects the evolution of Krylov complexity and the Lanczos coefficients. Curiously, the near-horizon limit matches with the same observable for conformally-coupled probe scalar fields inserted at the asymptotic boundary of AdS$_{d+1}$ space. Our results also show that the evolution of the growth rate of Krylov operator complexity in the CFT$_d$ takes the same form as to the proper radial momentum of a probe particle inside the bulk to a good approximation. The exact equality only occurs when the probe particle is inserted in the asymptotic boundary or in the horizon limit. Our results capture a prosperous interplay between Krylov complexity in the CFT, thermal ensembles at finite bulk locations and their role in the holographic dictionary.

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arXiv2025

Quantum Signatures of Chaos from Free Probability

A classical dynamical system can be viewed as a probability space equipped with a measure-preserving time evolution map, admitting a purely algebraic formulation in terms of the algebra of bounded functions on the phase space. Similarly, a quantum dynamical system can be formulated using an algebra of bounded operators in a non-commutative probability space equipped with a time evolution map. Chaos, in either setting, can be characterized by statistical independence between observables at $ t = 0 $ and $ t \to \infty $, leading to the vanishing of cumulants involving these observables. In the quantum case, the notion of independence is replaced by free independence, which only emerges in the thermodynamic limit (asymptotic freeness). In this work, we propose a definition of quantum chaos based on asymptotic freeness and investigate its emergence in quantum many-body systems including the mixed-field Ising model with a random magnetic field, a higher spin version of the same model, and the SYK model. The hallmark of asymptotic freeness is the emergence of the free convolution prediction for the spectrum of operators of the form $ A(0) + B(t) $, implying the vanishing of all free cumulants between $A(0)$ and $B(t)$ in the thermodynamic limit for an infinite-temperature thermal state. We systematically investigate the spectral properties of $ A(0) + B(t) $ in the above-mentioned models, show that fluctuations on top of the free convolution prediction follow universal Wigner-Dyson statistics, and discuss the connection with quantum chaos. Finally, we argue that free probability theory provides a rigorous framework for understanding quantum chaos, offering a unifying perspective that connects many different manifestations of it.

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arXiv2024

Higher-Order Krylov State Complexity in Random Matrix Quenches

In quantum many-body systems, time-evolved states typically remain confined to a smaller region of the Hilbert space known as the $\textit{Krylov subspace}$. The time evolution can be mapped onto a one-dimensional problem of a particle moving on a chain, where the average position $\langle n \rangle$ defines Krylov state complexity or spread complexity. Generalized spread complexities, associated with higher-order moments $\langle n^p \rangle$ for $p>1$, provide finer insights into the dynamics. We investigate the time evolution of generalized spread complexities following a quantum quench in random matrix theory. The quench is implemented by transitioning from an initial random Hamiltonian to a post-quench Hamiltonian obtained by dividing it into four blocks and flipping the sign of the off-diagonal blocks. This setup captures universal features of chaotic quantum quenches. When the initial state is the thermofield double state of the post-quench Hamiltonian, a peak in spread complexity preceding equilibration signals level repulsion, a hallmark of quantum chaos. We examine the robustness of this peak for other initial states, such as the ground state or the thermofield double state of the pre-quench Hamiltonian. To quantify this behavior, we introduce a measure based on the peak height relative to the late-time saturation value. In the continuous limit, higher-order complexities show increased sensitivity to the peak, supported by numerical simulations for finite-size random matrices.

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arXiv2024

Spread and Spectral Complexity in Quantum Spin Chains: from Integrability to Chaos

We explore spread and spectral complexity in quantum systems that exhibit a transition from integrability to chaos, namely the mixed-field Ising model and the next-to-nearest-neighbor deformation of the Heisenberg XXZ spin chain. We corroborate the observation that the presence of a peak in spread complexity before its saturation, is a characteristic feature in chaotic systems. We find that, in general, the saturation value of spread complexity post-peak depends not only on the spectral statistics of the Hamiltonian, but also on the specific state. However, there appears to be a maximal universal bound determined by the symmetries and dimension of the Hamiltonian, which is realized by the thermofield double state (TFD) at infinite temperature. We also find that the time scales at which the spread complexity and spectral form factor change their behaviour agree with each other and are independent of the chaotic properties of the systems. In the case of spectral complexity, we identify that the key factor determining its saturation value and timescale in chaotic systems is given by minimum energy difference in the theory's spectrum. This explains observations made in the literature regarding its earlier saturation in chaotic systems compared to their integrable counterparts. We conclude by discussing the properties of the TFD which, we conjecture, make it suitable for probing signatures of chaos in quantum many-body systems.

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arXiv2024

Krylov Complexity in Free and Interacting Scalar Field Theories with Bounded Power Spectrum

We study a notion of operator growth known as Krylov complexity in free and interacting massive scalar quantum field theories in $d$-dimensions at finite temperature. We consider the effects of mass, one-loop self-energy due to perturbative interactions, and finite ultraviolet cutoffs in continuous momentum space. These deformations change the behavior of Lanczos coefficients and Krylov complexity and induce effects such as the "staggering" of the former into two families, a decrease in the exponential growth rate of the latter, and transitions in their asymptotic behavior. We also discuss the relation between the existence of a mass gap and the property of staggering, and the relation between our ultraviolet cutoffs in continuous theories and lattice theories.

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arXiv2023

Spectral and Krylov Complexity in Billiard Systems

In this work, we investigate spectral complexity and Krylov complexity in quantum billiard systems at finite temperature. We study both circle and stadium billiards as paradigmatic examples of integrable and non-integrable quantum-mechanical systems, respectively. We show that the saturation value and time scale of spectral complexity may be used to probe the non-integrability of the system since we find that when computed for the circle billiard, it saturates at a later time scale compared to the stadium billiards. This observation is verified for different temperatures. Furthermore, we study the Krylov complexity of the position operator and its associated Lanczos coefficients at finite temperature using the Wightman inner product. We find that the growth rate of the Lanczos coefficients saturates the conjectured universal bound at low temperatures. Additionally, we also find that even a subset of the Lanczos coefficients can potentially serve as an indicator of integrability, as they demonstrate erratic behavior specifically in the circle billiard case, in contrast to the stadium billiard. Finally, we also study Krylov entropy and verify its early-time logarithmic relation with Krylov complexity in both types of billiard systems.

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arXiv2022

Q-curvature and Path Integral Complexity

We discuss the interpretation of path integral optimization as a uniformization problem in even dimensions. This perspective allows for a systematical construction of the higher-dimensional path integral complexity in holographic conformal field theories in terms of Q-curvature actions. We explore the properties and consequences of these actions from the perspective of the optimization programme, tensor networks and penalty factors. Moreover, in the context of recently proposed holographic path integral optimization, we consider higher curvature contributions on the Hartle-Hawking bulk slice and study their impact on the optimization as well as their relation to Q-curvature actions and finite cut-off holography.

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arXiv2022

Balanced Partial Entanglement and Mixed State Correlations

Recently in Ref.\cite{Wen:2021qgx}, one of the authors introduced the balanced partial entanglement (BPE), which has been proposed to be dual to the entanglement wedge cross-section (EWCS). In this paper, we explicitly demonstrate that the BPE could be considered as a proper measure of the total intrinsic correlation between two subsystems in a mixed state. The total correlation includes certain crossing correlations which are minimized on some balance conditions. By constructing a class of purifications from Euclidean path-integrals, we find that the balanced crossing correlations show universality and can be considered as the generalization of the Markov gap for canonical purification. We also test the relation between the BPE and the EWCS in three-dimensional asymptotically flat holography. We find that the balanced crossing correlation vanishes for the field theory invariant under BMS$_3$ symmetry (BMSFT) and dual to the Einstein gravity, indicating the possibility of a perfect Markov recovery. We further elucidate these crossing correlations as a signature of tripartite entanglement and explain their interpretation in both AdS and non-AdS holography.

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arXiv2021

Long-distance entanglement of purification and reflected entropy in conformal field theory

Quantifying entanglement properties of mixed states in quantum field theory via entanglement of purification and reflected entropy is a new and challenging subject. In this work, we study both quantities for two spherical subregions far away from each other in the vacuum of a conformal field theory in any number of dimensions. Using lattice techniques, we find an elementary proof that the decay of both, the entanglement of purification and reflected entropy, is enhanced with respect to the mutual information behaviour by a logarithm of the distance between the subregions. In the case of the Ising spin chain at criticality and the related free fermion conformal field theory, we compute also the overall coefficients numerically for the both quantities of interest.

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arXiv2021

Entanglement and Complexity of Purification in (1+1)-dimensional free Conformal Field Theories

Finding pure states in an enlarged Hilbert space that encode the mixed state of a quantum field theory as a partial trace is necessarily a challenging task. Nevertheless, such purifications play the key role in characterizing quantum information-theoretic properties of mixed states via entanglement and complexity of purifications. In this article, we analyze these quantities for two intervals in the vacuum of free bosonic and Ising conformal field theories using, for the first time, the~most general Gaussian purifications. We provide a comprehensive comparison with existing results and identify universal properties. We further discuss important subtleties in our setup: the massless limit of the free bosonic theory and the corresponding behaviour of the mutual information, as well as the Hilbert space structure under the Jordan-Wigner mapping in the spin chain model of the Ising conformal field theory.

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arXiv2019

Path integral optimization as circuit complexity

Early efforts to understand complexity in field theory have primarily employed a geometric approach based on the concept of circuit complexity in quantum information theory. In a parallel vein, it has been proposed that certain deformations of the Euclidean path integral that prepares a given operator or state may provide an alternative definition, whose connection to the standard notion of complexity is less apparent. In this letter, we bridge the gap between these two proposals in two-dimensional conformal field theories, by explicitly showing how the latter approach from path integral optimization may be given a concrete realization within the standard gate counting framework. In particular, we show that when the background geometry is deformed by a Weyl rescaling, a judicious gate counting allows one to recover the Liouville action as a particular choice within a more general class of cost functions.

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arXiv2019

Complexity as a novel probe of quantum quenches: universal scalings and purifications

We apply the recently developed notion of complexity for field theory to a quantum quench through a critical point in 1+1 dimensions. We begin with a toy model consisting of a quantum harmonic oscillator, and show that complexity exhibits universal scalings in both the slow and fast quench regimes. We then generalize our results to a 1-dimensional harmonic chain, and show that preservation of these scaling behaviours in free field theory depends on the choice of norm. Applying our set-up to the case of two oscillators, we quantify the complexity of purification associated to a subregion, and demonstrate that complexity is capable of probing features to which the entanglement entropy is insensitive. We find that the complexity of subregions is subadditive, and comment on potential implications for holography.

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