Quantum correlations in a system of two two-level atoms

The dynamics of appearance of a steady entangled state in an ensemble of two collectively decaying two-level atoms is studied on the basis of the Peres-Horodecki criterion with regard to the dipole-dipole interaction between the atoms and their frequency detuning. It is ascertained that, in the absence of dipole-dipole interaction, the steady-state entanglement is in many respects due to the coincidence of the frequencies of transitions in the atoms, whereas a difference in the frequencies, related to different positions of the atoms in a crystal or their thermal motion, destroys the steady-state entanglement. Upon a dipole-dipole interaction, a steady-state entanglement also exists and, in this case, depends strongly on the relationship between the magnitude of the dipole-dipole interaction, the constant of coupling with a thermostat, and the phase of the resonance wave; the entanglement appears only when the thermostat coupling constant is dominant.