Environment-Induced Sudden Death of Entanglement
Marcelo Pereira de Almeida, Fernando de Melo, Malena O. Hor-Meyll, A. Salles, Stephen Patrick Walborn, P. H. Souto Ribeiro, L. Davidovich · Science · 2007
We demonstrate the difference between local, single-particle dynamics and global dynamics of entangled quantum systems coupled to independent environments. Using an all-optical experimental setup, we showed that, even when the environment-induced decay of each system is asymptotic, quantum entanglement may suddenly disappear. This "sudden death" constitutes yet another distinct and counterintuitive trait of entanglement.