Entangled states dynamics of moving two-level atoms in a thermal field bath

Abstract

We consider a two-level atom that follows a wordline of constant velocity, while interacting with a massless scalar field in a thermal state through: (i) an Unruh–DeWitt (UDW) coupling, and (ii) a coupling that involves the time derivative of the field. We treat the atom as an open quantum system, with the field playing the role of the environment, and employ a master equation to describe its time evolution. We study the dynamics of entanglement between the moving atom and a (auxiliary) qubit at rest and isolated from the thermal field. We find that in the case of the standard UDW coupling and for high temperatures of the environment the decay of entanglement is delayed due to the atom’s motion. Instead, in the derivative coupling case, the atom’s motion always causes the rapid death of entanglement.