Symmetric inseparability and number entanglement in charge-conserving mixed states

We explore sufficient conditions for inseparability in mixed states with a globally conserved charge, such as a particle number. We argue that even separable states may contain entanglement in fixed charge sectors, as long as the state cannot be separated into charge-conserving components. As a witness of symmetric inseparability we study the number entanglement (NE), Delta S-m, defined as the entropy change due to a subsystem's charge measurement. Whenever Delta S-m > 0, there exist inseparable charge sectors, having finite (logarithmic) negativity, even when the full state either is separable or has vanishing negativity. We demonstrate that the NE is not only a witness of symmetric inseparability, but also an entanglement monotone. Finally, we study the scaling of Delta S-m in thermal one-dimensional systems combining high-temperature expansion and conformal field theory.