QCD evolution of entanglement entropy

Abstract

Entanglement entropy has emerged as a novel tool for probing nonperturbative quantum chromodynamics (QCD) phenomena, such as color confinement in protons. While recent studies have demonstrated its significant capability in describing hadron production in deep inelastic scatterings, the QCD evolution of entanglement entropy remains unexplored. In this work, we investigate the differential rapidity-dependent entanglement entropy within the proton and its connection to final-state hadrons, aiming to elucidate its QCD evolution. Our analysis reveals a strong agreement between the rapidity dependence of von Neumann entropy, obtained from QCD evolution equations, and the corresponding experimental data on hadron entropy. These findings provide compelling evidence for the emergence of a maximally entangled state, offering new insights into the nonperturbative structure of protons.