arXiv:0908.0831 · Physical Review A
Spontaneously generated atomic entanglement in free space reinforced by incoherent pumping
Ling Zhou, Yang Guo, Anil K. Patnaik
Abstract
We study spontaneously generated entanglement (SGE) between two identical multilevel atoms in free space via vacuum-induced radiative coupling. We show that the SGE in two-atom systems may initially increase with time but eventually vanishes in the time scale determined by the excited-state lifetime and radiative coupling strength between the two atoms. We demonstrate that steady-state SGE can be established by incoherently pumping the atoms to their excited states. We have shown that an appropriate rate of incoherent pump can help in producing optimal steady-state SGE. The multilevel systems offer us more channels to establish entanglement. The system under consideration can be realized in a tight trap or atoms/ions doped in a solid substrate.