The `operator entanglement' of a quantum operator
O is a useful indicator
of its complexity, and, in one-dimension, of its approximability by matrix
product operators. Here we focus on spin chains with a global
U(1)
conservation law, and on operators
O with a well-defined
U(1) charge, for
which it is possible to resolve the operator entanglement of
O according to
the
U(1) symmetry. We employ the notion of symmetry resolved operator
entanglement (SROE) introduced in [PRX Quantum 4, 010318 (2023)] and extend the
results of the latter paper in several directions. Using a combination of
conformal field theory and of exact analytical and numerical calculations in
critical free fermionic chains, we study the SROE of the thermal density matrix
ρβ=e−βH and of charged local operators evolving in
Heisenberg picture
O=eitHOe−itH. Our main results are: i) the
SROE of
ρβ obeys the operator area law; ii) for free fermions, local
operators in Heisenberg picture can have a SROE that grows logarithmically in
time or saturates to a constant value; iii) there is equipartition of the
entanglement among all the charge sectors except for a pair of fermionic
creation and annihilation operators.