We investigate the thermodynamic constraints on the pivotal task of entanglement generation using out-of-equilibrium states through a model-independent framework with minimal assumptions. We establish a necessary and sufficient condition for a thermal process to generate bipartite qubit entanglement, starting from an initially separable state. Consequently, we identify the set of system states that cannot be entangled, when no external work is invested. In the regime of infinite temperature, we analytically construct this set; while for finite temperature, we provide a simple criterion to verify whether any given initial state is or is not entangleable. Furthermore, we provide an explicit construction of the future thermal cone of entanglement—the set of entangled states that a given separable state can thermodynamically evolve to. We offer a detailed discussion on the properties of this cone, focusing on the interplay between entanglement and its volumetric properties. We conclude with several key remarks on the generation of entanglement beyond two-qubit systems, and discuss its dynamics in the presence of dissipation. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
Two charge qubits located inside a damped driven cavity is considered. The dynamical evolution of the entanglement between the two qubits is demonstrated analytically or numerically. It is found that with the cavity dissipation, the steady entanglement between the two qubits is sensitive to the initial state of the qubits, but independent of the cavity field's initial state. The two qubits initially in the separable and most mixed state can be more easily entangled. The external field can be used to enhance the steady entanglement between the two charge qubits.
We propose a scheme for generating an entangled state for two atoms trapped in two separate cavities coupled to each other. The scheme is based on the competition between the unitary dynamics induced by the classical fields and the collective decays induced by the dissipation of two non-local bosonic modes. In this scheme, only one qubit is driven by external classical fields, whereas the other need not be manipulated via classical driving. This is meaningful for experimental implementation between separate nodes of a quantum network. The steady entanglement can be obtained regardless of the initial state, and the robustness of the scheme against parameter fluctuations is numerically demonstrated. We also give an analytical derivation of the stationary fidelity to enable a discussion of the validity of this regime. Furthermore, based on the dissipative entanglement preparation scheme, we construct a quantum state transfer setup with multiple nodes as a practical application.