Generation and distribution of atomic entanglement in coupled-cavity arrays

TL;DR

This paper investigates how to generate and control entanglement between atoms in a coupled-cavity array using the Jaynes-Cummings-Hubbard model, highlighting the role of atom-cavity coupling tuning.

Contribution

It demonstrates that pairwise atomic entanglement distribution can be effectively manipulated by adjusting the atom-cavity coupling strength in a 1D array.

Findings

Entanglement distribution depends on atom-cavity coupling strength.

The model provides a framework for hybrid light-matter quantum networks.

Dynamics of entanglement can be controlled via natural Hamiltonian evolution.

Abstract

We study the dynamics of entanglement in a 1D coupled-cavity array, each cavity containing a two-level atom, via the Jaynes-Cummings-Hubbard (JCH) Hamiltonian in the single-excitation sector. The model features a rich variety of dynamical regimes that can be harnessed for entanglement control. The protocol is based on setting an excited atom above the ground state and further letting it evolve following the natural dynamics of the Hamiltonian. Here we focus on the concurrence between pairs of atoms and its relation to atom-field correlations and the structure of the array. We show that the extension and distribution pattern of pairwise entanglement can be manipulated through a judicious tuning of the atom-cavity coupling strength only. Our work offers a comprehensive account over the machinery of the single-excitation JCH Hamiltonian as well as contributes to the design of hybrid light-matter quantum networks.