Atomic Entanglement in Carbon Nanotubes.

The development of materials that may host quantum coherent states is a critical research problem for the nearest future. Recent progress in the growth of centimeter-long small-diameter single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNs)[1] and successful experiments on the encapsulation of single atoms into CNs[2], stimulate the study of dynamical quantum processes in atomically doped CN systems. We have recently shown[3] that atomic states may be strongly coupled to vacuum surface photonic modes in the CN, thus forming quasi-1D cavity polaritons similar to those observed for quantum dots in semiconductor nanocavities[4], which were recently suggested to be a possible way to produce the excitonic qubit entanglement[5]. Here, we show that, being strongly coupled to the (resonator-like) cylindrical nanotube environment, the two atomic quasi-1D polaritons can be easily entangled as well, thus challenging a novel alternative approach towards quantum information transfer over centimeter-long distances. [1]L.X.Zheng et al, Proc. Nanotech 2005 (May 8-12, 2005, Anaheim, CA, USA), vol.3, p.126. [2]G.-H.Jeong et al, Phys. Rev. B68,075410(2003). [3]I.V.Bondarev and Ph.Lambin, in: Trends in Nanotubes Reasearch (NovaScience, NY, 2005); Phys. Rev. B70,035407(2004); Phys. Rev. B72,035451(2005). [4]T.Yoshie et al, Nature 432,200(2004). [5]S.Hughes, Phys. Rev. Lett.94,227402(2005).