Interplay between entanglement and entropy in two-qubit systems

Abstract

We study the exact entanglement and entropy dynamics of two qubits interacting with a common zero-temperature non-Markovian reservoir. It is a commonly held view that entanglement loss due to environmental decoherence is accompanied by loss of purity of the state of the system. We demonstrate that such an intuitive picture does not always apply: the deterioration of entanglement and purity does not necessarily come together; i.e. revivals of entanglement can be accompanied by deterioration of purity. To complete our investigation on entanglement–mixedness interplay we consider the case of initial mixed states and study how the entanglement dynamics and its revivals are related to both the initial purity and the initial entanglement.