Entanglement structure of quantum fields through local probes

We present a framework to study the entanglement structure of a quantum field theory inspired by the formalism of particle detectors in relativistic quantum information. This framework can in principle be used to faithfully capture entanglement in a QFT between arbitrary-shaped regions of spacetime without encountering UV divergences, bypassing many of the issues typically present in other approaches. Our results also establish the limits of the efficiency of entanglement harvesting, and may also be used to motivate an operational definition of entanglement between spacetime subregions in field theory.

Automated summary

We propose a framework for studying the entanglement structure of quantum field theory based on the concept of particle detectors in relativistic quantum information. This framework allows us to accurately capture entanglement between different-shaped regions of spacetime without encountering the usual UV divergences and other issues. Our results also provide insights into the efficiency limits of entanglement harvesting and offer an operational definition of entanglement between spacetime subregions in field theory.