Entanglement entropy as a probe of topological phase transitions

Entanglement entropy (EE) provides a powerful probe of quantum phases, yet its role in identifying topological phase transitions in disordered systems remains underexplored. We introduce an exact EE-based framework that captures topological phase transitions even in the presence of disorder. Specifically, for a class of Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model variants, we show that the difference in EE between half-filled and near-half-filled ground states,ΔSA, vanishes in the topological phase but remains finite in the trivial phase, a direct consequence of edge-state localization. This behavior persists even in the presence of quasiperiodic or binary disorder. By analyzing domain-wall configurations in the SSH chain, we further show how subsystem tuning allows one to distinguish genuine topological zero-energy eigenstates from trivial localized states. Exact phase boundaries, derived from Lyapunov exponents via transfer matrices, agree closely with numerical results fromΔSAand the topological invariant𝓠, with instances whereΔSAoutperforms𝓠. Our results highlight EE as a robust diagnostic tool and a potential bridge between quantum information and condensed matter approaches to topological matter.