Entanglement entropy near Kondo-destruction quantum critical points

We study the impurity entanglement entropy Se in quantum impurity models that feature a Kondo-destruction quantum critical point (QCP) arising from a pseudogap in the conduction-band density of states or from coupling to a bosonic bath. On the local-moment (Kondo-destroyed) side of the QCP, the entanglement entropy contains a critical component that can be related to the order parameter characterizing the quantum phase transition. In Kondo models describing a spin-Simp,Se assumes its maximal value of ln(2Simp+1) at the QCP and throughout the Kondo phase, independent of features such as particle-hole symmetry and under- or overscreening. In Anderson models, Se is nonuniversal at the QCP and, at particle-hole symmetry, rises monotonically on passage from the local-moment phase to the Kondo phase; breaking this symmetry can lead to a cusp peak in Se due to a divergent charge susceptibility at the QCP. Implications of these results for quantum critical systems and quantum dots are discussed.