Optimization of entanglement harvesting with arbitrary temporal profiles: the limit of second order perturbation theory

TL;DR

This paper investigates optimizing entanglement harvesting between two probes coupled to a quantum field with arbitrary temporal profiles, using Hermite expansion for efficient computation and surpassing second order perturbation limits.

Contribution

It introduces a Hermite expansion method for efficient computation and demonstrates protocol optimization that exceeds second order perturbation theory limits.

Findings

Optimization enhances entanglement harvesting by several orders of magnitude.

Hermite expansion allows closed-form computation of smeared field propagators.

The approach surpasses the regime of second order perturbation theory.

Abstract

We study the protocol of entanglement harvesting when two local probes couple to the vacuum of a real scalar quantum field with arbitrary temporal profiles. We use a Hermite expansion to efficiently compute smeared field propagators in closed-form, recasting the negativity between the probes as a matrix product. We then optimize the protocol under different signalling conditions, enhancing entanglement harvesting by several orders of magnitude. This optimization would take current experimental proposals beyond the regime of second order perturbation theory.