We study two continuous variable systems (or two harmonic oscillators) and investigate their entanglement evolution under the influence of non-Markovian thermal environments. The continuous variable systems could be two modes of electromagnetic fields or two nanomechanical oscillators in the quantum domain. We use the quantum open system method to derive the non-Markovian master equations of the reduced density matrix for two different but related models of the continuous variable systems. The two models both consist of two interacting harmonic oscillators. In model A, each of the two oscillators is coupled to its own independent thermal reservoir, while in model B the two oscillators are coupled to a common reservoir. To quantify the degrees of entanglement for bipartite continuous variable systems in Gaussian states, logarithmic negativity is used. We find that the dynamics of the quantum entanglement is sensitive to the initial states, the oscillator-oscillator interaction, the oscillator-environment interaction and the coupling to a common bath or to different, independent baths.

• Received 2 February 2007

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.76.022312