2014/07/15 by G. H. Aguilar, Andrea Valdés-Hernández, A. Valdés-Hernández +3 · 2 citations
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Multipartite #Multipartite entanglement #Photon entanglement #Physics #Quantum #Quantum Computing Algorithms and Architecture #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum decoherence #Quantum entanglement #Quantum mechanics #Qubit #Squashed entanglement #Sudden death #W state #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.113.240501
published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 240501 (2014) · 6 pages, 4 figures
arxiv created 2014/07/15 · openalex publication_date 2014/12/09 · arxiv updated 2014/12/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
When an initially entangled pair of qubits undergoes local decoherence processes, there are a number of ways in which the original entanglement can spread throughout the multipartite system consisting of the two qubits and their environments. Here, we report theoretical and experimental results regarding the dynamics of the distribution of entanglement in this system. The experiment employs an all optical setup in which the qubits are encoded in the polarization degrees of freedom of two photons, and each local decoherence channel is implemented with an interferometer that couples the polarization to the path of each photon, which acts as an environment. We monitor the dynamics and distribution of entanglement and observe the transition from bipartite to multipartite entanglement and back, and show how these transitions are intimately related to the sudden death and sudden birth of entanglement. The multipartite entanglement is further analyzed in terms of three- and four-partite entanglement contributions, and genuine four-qubit entanglement is observed at some points of the evolution.