Atoms near a conducting wedge: decay rates and entanglement around a corner

Abstract

The behavior of an atomic system is influenced by introducing a metallic surface. This work explores how the decay landscape can be altered by the presence of sharp corners. We examine two scenarios: the modified spontaneous decay of a single atom, which leads us to speculate about potential applications in microscopy, and the case of a more fundamental, theoretical interest - the behavior of an entangled pair of atoms near a corner. The latter, when two atoms are positioned ``out of the line of sight'' opens up a possible line of investigation into devices which are able to ``see around corners''.