Non-Markovian entanglement dynamics in the presence of system-bath coherence

TL;DR

This paper investigates how quantum coherence between a system and its environment influences the entanglement dynamics of two qubits, especially under realistic conditions like slow and low-temperature baths.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive model that includes system-bath coherence effects, advancing the understanding of entanglement evolution in non-Markovian environments.

Findings

Quantum system-bath coherence significantly affects entanglement dynamics.

The model accurately describes slow and low-temperature bath effects.

Entanglement decay patterns differ from traditional Markovian predictions.

Abstract

A complete treatment of the entanglement of two-level systems, which evolves through the contact with a thermal bath, must include the fact that the system and the bath are not fully separable. Therefore, quantum coherent superpositions of system and bath states, which are almost never fully included in theoretical models, are invariably present when an entangled state is prepared experimentally. We show their importance for the time evolution of the entanglement of two qubits coupled to independent baths. In addition, our treatment is able to handle slow and low-temperature thermal baths.