Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Science

Environment-Induced Sudden Death of Entanglement

Marcelo Pereira de Almeida, Fernando de Melo, Malena O. Hor-Meyll, A. Salles, Stephen Patrick Walborn, P. H. Souto Ribeiro, L. Davidovich

Published Apr 26, 2007• 913 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We demonstrate the difference between local, single-particle dynamics and global dynamics of entangled quantum systems coupled to independent environments. Using an all-optical experimental setup, we showed that, even when the environment-induced decay of each system is asymptotic, quantum entanglement may suddenly disappear. This "sudden death" constitutes yet another distinct and counterintuitive trait of entanglement.

DOI
10.1126/science.1139892

Related papers

Experimental observation of environment-induced sudden death of entanglement

Marcelo Pereira de Almeida, Fernando de Melo, Malena O. Hor-Meyll +4 more

We demonstrate, using an all-optical setup, the difference between local and global dynamics of entangled quantum systems coupled to independent environments. Even when the environment-induced decay of each system is asymptotic, quantum entanglement may suddenly disappear.

arXiv:quant-ph/0701184•Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Jun 7, 2007•12 citations

Observation of the entanglement sudden death

Marcelo Pereira de Almeida, Fernando de Melo, Malena O. Hor-Meyll +4 more

We demonstrate, using an all-optical setup, the difference between local and global dynamics of entangled quantum systems coupled to independent environments. Even when the decay of each system is asymptotic, quantum entanglement may suddenly disappear. We also demonstrate experimentally that measurements performed in the environment affects the local evolution.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•May 4, 2008•0 citations

Entanglement and decoherence: global versus local dynamics

Marcelo Pereira de Almeida, Fernando de Melo, Malena O. Hor-Meyll +4 more

We demonstrate, using an all-optical setup based on twin-photons, the difference between local and global dynamics of entangled quantum systems coupled to independent environments. A single experimental realization encompasses several kinds of individual qubit dynamics, including exponential decay and oscillatory exchanges between each qubit and its environment. We verify that entanglement may disappear at a finite time, even when the individual properties of each qubit decay exponentially.

The Rochester Conferences on Coherence and Quantum Optics and the Quantum Information and Measurement meeting•Jan 1, 2007•0 citations

Entanglement and Decoherence

L. Davidovich

The interaction between entangled multi-particle systems with the environment leads to both local dynamics, associated with single-particle dissipation, diffusion, and decay, and to global dynamics, which may provoke the disappearance of entanglement at a finite time [1-6]. This phenomenon may occur even when single-particle decoherence is asymptotic in time, and constitutes yet another distinct trait of entanglement. It has been recently demonstrated, for two qubits under the action of independent environments, using an all-optical setup [7]. In this talk, some of the peculiarities of the dynamics of two-qubit entangled states undergoing decoherence will be reviewed, new features of the experiment realized at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro [7] will be described, and the extension of these considerations to multi-particle entangled states will be discussed. Scaling laws for the decay of entanglement and its finite-time extinction in multi-particle systems will be discussed.

OSA Workshop on Entanglement and Quantum Decoherence•Jan 1, 2008•15 citations

Universality of sudden death of entanglement

F. F. Fanchini, Paulo E. M. F. Mendonça, Reginaldo de Jesus Napolitano

We present a constructive argument to demonstrate the universality of the sudden death of entanglement in the case of two non-interacting qubits, each of which generically coupled to independent Markovian environments at zero temperature. Conditions for the occurrence of the abrupt disappearance of entanglement are determined and, most importantly, rigourously shown to be \emph{almost} always satisfied: Dynamical models for which the sudden death of entanglement does not occur are seen to form a highly idealized zero-measure subset within the set of all possible quantum dynamics.

arXiv:0810.5739•Quantum Information and Computation•Jul 1, 2011•5 citations

Observation of entanglement sudden death and rebirth by controlling a solid-state spin bath

Fei Wang, Pan‐Yu Hou, Yidong Huang +8 more

Quantum entanglement, the essential resource for quantum information processing, has rich dynamics under different environments. Probing different entanglement dynamics typically requires exquisite control of complicated system-environment coupling in real experimental systems. Here, by a simple control of the effective solid-state spin bath in a diamond sample, we observe rich entanglement dynamics, including the conventional asymptotic decay as well as the entanglement sudden death, a term coined for the phenomenon of complete disappearance of entanglement after a short finite time interval. Furthermore, we observe counterintuitive entanglement rebirth after its sudden death in the same diamond sample by tuning an experimental parameter, demonstrating that we can conveniently control the non-Markovianity of the system-environment coupling through a natural experimental knob. Further tuning of this experimental knob can make the entanglement dynamics completely coherent under the same environmental coupling. Probing of entanglement dynamics, apart from its fundamental interest, may find applications in quantum information processing through control of the environmental coupling.

arXiv:1801.02729•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Aug 27, 2018•48 citations
We demonstrate the difference between local, single-particle dynamics and global dynamics of entangled quantum systems coupled to independent environments. Using an all-optical experimental setup, we showed that, even when the environment-induced decay of each system is asymptotic, quantum entanglement may suddenly disappear. This "sudden death" constitutes yet another distinct and counterintuitive trait of entanglement.
The interaction between entangled multi-particle systems with the environment leads to both local dynamics, associated with single-particle dissipation, diffusion, and decay, and to global dynamics, which may provoke the disappearance of entanglement at a finite time [1-6]. This phenomenon may occur even when single-particle decoherence is asymptotic in time, and constitutes yet another distinct trait of entanglement. It has been recently demonstrated, for two qubits under the action of independent environments, using an all-optical setup [7]. In this talk, some of the peculiarities of the dynamics of two-qubit entangled states undergoing decoherence will be reviewed, new features of the experiment realized at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro [7] will be described, and the extension of these considerations to multi-particle entangled states will be discussed. Scaling laws for the decay of entanglement and its finite-time extinction in multi-particle systems will be discussed.
We present a constructive argument to demonstrate the universality of the sudden death of entanglement in the case of two non-interacting qubits, each of which generically coupled to independent Markovian environments at zero temperature. Conditions for the occurrence of the abrupt disappearance of entanglement are determined and, most importantly, rigourously shown to be \emph{almost} always satisfied: Dynamical models for which the sudden death of entanglement does not occur are seen to form a highly idealized zero-measure subset within the set of all possible quantum dynamics.
Quantum entanglement, the essential resource for quantum information processing, has rich dynamics under different environments. Probing different entanglement dynamics typically requires exquisite control of complicated system-environment coupling in real experimental systems. Here, by a simple control of the effective solid-state spin bath in a diamond sample, we observe rich entanglement dynamics, including the conventional asymptotic decay as well as the entanglement sudden death, a term coined for the phenomenon of complete disappearance of entanglement after a short finite time interval. Furthermore, we observe counterintuitive entanglement rebirth after its sudden death in the same diamond sample by tuning an experimental parameter, demonstrating that we can conveniently control the non-Markovianity of the system-environment coupling through a natural experimental knob. Further tuning of this experimental knob can make the entanglement dynamics completely coherent under the same environmental coupling. Probing of entanglement dynamics, apart from its fundamental interest, may find applications in quantum information processing through control of the environmental coupling.