English

Structural Obstruction to Replica Symmetry Breaking for Multi-Entropy in Random Tensor Networks

High Energy Physics - Theory 2026-04-22 v2

Abstract

We study replica symmetry breaking (RSB) for multi-entropy in the random-tensor-network (RTN) domain-wall spin model. Our main result is that, within this framework, multi-entropy has a structural obstruction to RSB for any R\'enyi index nn and any multipartite number q\mathtt{q}. This obstruction arises because the boundary permutations relevant to multi-entropy are organized along mutually incompatible coordinate directions of the replica hypercube, and therefore do not admit a nontrivial common geodesic intermediate permutation τ\tau in the Cayley graph of SNS_N. This is in sharp contrast to entanglement negativity, which does admit such a τ\tau-mediated saddle and exhibits RSB in the same framework. As a robustness check, we also consider a toy Z2\mathbb{Z}_2 gauge extension of the spin model with a minimal bulk gauge constraint. Numerical evidence in this gauged model indicates that multi-entropy continues to show no sign of RSB at n=2n=2 and n=3n=3, while negativity continues to exhibit RSB. Our results show that, within the RTN spin-model description, multi-entropy is not "RSB-friendly'': its boundary data are structurally incompatible with a nontrivial common geodesic intermediate permutation, unlike negativity.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2604.13261,
  title  = {Structural Obstruction to Replica Symmetry Breaking for Multi-Entropy in Random Tensor Networks},
  author = {Sriram Akella and Norihiro Iizuka},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.13261},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

39 pages. 15 figures. v2: Fig. 3 and Sec. 3.2 added. Main conclusion clarified as a structural obstruction to RSB. Comments are welcome!

R2 v1 2026-07-01T12:09:43.236Z