Coherent control of quantum correlations in atomic systems

A new mechanism of development of quantum correlations due to the combined effects of a common heat bath and a resonant classical electromagnetic field is analyzed for a system of two two-level atoms coupled by dipole-dipole interaction. Conditions are found under which arbitrary steady-state entanglement can be created in the absence of measurement in an entangled basis. The analysis of dynamics of entanglement is focused on the effects of dipole-dipole interaction, mean number of thermal photons, degree of squeezing of thermal radiation, classical field strength, and presence of additional decay channels.