Protection of entanglement between two two-level atoms

Abstract

The dynamical evolution of entanglement between two polarizable two-level atoms in weak interaction with electromagnetic vacuum fluctuations is investigated. We find that, for initial Bell state $\psi^{\pm}$, the decay rate of entanglement between atoms is just the superradiant spontaneous emission rate, which depends not only on the spontaneous emission rate of atom but also on the modulation of the spontaneous emission rate due to the presence of another atom. It is shown that, with the presence of a boundary, the entanglement between transversely polarizable atoms can be protected for a very long time. It is pointed out that when the two atoms in initial Bell state $\psi^{-}$ are put close enough , the entanglement between them can also be protected.