arXiv subjects

Kwing Lam Leung

Publications and source records attributed to Kwing Lam Leung.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Local approximations of global Hamiltonian from inclusion of algebras

We write down the global Hamiltonian of conformal field theory (CFT) in finite volume in terms of the modular Hamiltonian of the vacuum reduced to a local ball-shaped region, and use it to propose local approximations to the global Minkowski Hamiltonian in quantum field theory (QFT). The proposed Hamiltonians are motivated by the operator-algebraic property of nuclearity. They are constructed from the characteristic functions of inclusion of algebras and can be viewed as regulators of the modular Hamiltonian of local algebras of QFT

hep-th↗

arXiv2025

Modular Intersections, Time Interval Algebras and Emergent AdS$_2$

We compute the modular flow and conjugation of time interval algebras of conformal Generalized Free Fields (GFF) in $(0+1)$-dimensions in vacuum. For non-integer scaling dimensions, for general time-intervals, the modular conjugation and the modular flow of operators outside the algebra are non-geometric. This is because they involve a Generalized Hilbert Transform (GHT) that treats positive and negative frequency modes differently. However, the modular conjugation and flows viewed in the dual bulk AdS$_2$ are local, because the GHT geometrizes as the local antipodal symmetry transformation that pushes operators behind the Poincaré horizon. These algebras of conformal GFF satisfy a $\textit{Twisted Modular Inclusion}$ and a $\textit{Twisted Modular Intersection}$ property. We prove the converse statement that the existence of a (twisted) modular inclusion/intersection in any quantum system implies a representation of the (universal cover of) conformal group $PSL(2,\mathbb{R})$, respectively. We discuss the implications of our result for the emergence of Stringy AdS$_2$ geometries in large $N$ theories without a large gap. Our result applied to higher dimensional eternal AdS black holes explains the emergence of two copies of $PSL(2,\mathbb{R})$ on future and past Killing horizons.

hep-th↗

arXiv2023

Local Poincaré Algebra from Quantum Chaos

The local two-dimensional Poincaré algebra near the horizon of an eternal AdS black hole, or in proximity to any bifurcate Killing horizon, is generated by the Killing flow and outward null translations on the horizon. In holography, this local Poincaré algebra is reflected as a pair of unitary flows in the boundary Hilbert space whose generators under modular flow grow and decay exponentially with a maximal Lyapunov exponent. This is a universal feature of many geometric vacua of quantum gravity. To explain this universality, we show that a two-dimensional Poincaré algebra emerges in any quantum system that has von Neumann subalgebras associated with half-infinite modular time intervals (modular future and past subalgebras) in a limit analogous to the near-horizon limit. In ergodic theory, quantum dynamical systems with future or past algebras are called quantum K-systems. The surprising statement is that modular K-systems are always maximally chaotic. Interacting quantum systems in the thermodynamic limit and large $N$ theories above the Hawking-Page phase transition are examples of physical theories with future/past subalgebras. We prove that the existence of (modular) future/past von Neumann subalgebras also implies a second law of (modular) thermodynamics and the exponential decay of (modular) correlators. We generalize our results from the modular flow to any dynamical flow with a positive generator and interpret the positivity condition as quantum detailed balance.

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