Momentum-Space Entanglement in Heisenberg Spin-Half Ladders

Abstract

We analytically study momentum-space entanglement in quantum spin-half ladders consisting of two coupled critical XXZ spin-half chains using field theoretical methods. When the system is gapped, the momentum-space entanglement Hamiltonian is described by a conformal field theory with a central charge of two. This is in contrast to entanglement Hamiltonians of various real-space partitions of gapped-spin ladders that have a central charge of one. When the system is gapless, we interestingly find that the entanglement Hamiltonian consist of one gapless mode linear in subsystem momentum and one mode with a flat dispersion relation. We also find that the momentum-space entanglement entropy obeys a volume law.