Volume 21: Pages 26-32, 2008
Quantum entanglement in noninertial frames
R. B. Mann 1
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
Quantum entanglement is foundational to quantum computation. Yet little is known about how this phenomenon is modified by gravitational effects. One place to begin this study is by consideration of observers in relative acceleration. Here I describe recent work exploring the relationship between quantum entanglement between states shared by such observers. Due to the Unruh effect, the entanglement is degraded and asymptotically reaches a minimum value in the infinite acceleration limit. For bosons this value is zero, but for fermions it is nonzero, in which case quantum information tasks (such as teleportation) between parties in relative uniform acceleration can always be performed. I discuss the implications of these results for observers in gravitational fields.
Keywords: Entanglement, Rindler Space, Quantum Information
Received: March 29, 2007; Accepted: August 18, 2007; Published Online: December 15, 2008
