Dicke model: Entanglement as a finite size effect

Abstract

We analyze the Dicke model at zero temperature by matrix diagonalization to determine the entanglement in the ground state. In the infinite system limit the mean field approximation predicts a quantum phase transition from a non-interacting state to a Bose-Einstein condensate at a threshold coupling. We show that in a finite system the spin part of the ground state is a bipartite entangled state, which can be tested by probing two parts of the spin system separately, but only in a narrow regime around the threshold coupling. Around the resonance, the size of this regime is inversely proportional to the number of spins and shrinks down to zero for infinite systems. This spin entanglement is a non-perturbative effect and is also missed by the mean-field approximation. © 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd.