We present an efficient scheme for the controlled generation of pure two-qubit states possessing any desired degree of entanglement and a prescribed symmetry. This is achieved in two-qubit-cavity QED systems (e.g., cold-trapped ions and flying atoms) via on-resonance ion- or atom-cavity couplings, which are time dependent and asymmetric, yielding a trapping vacuum state condition which does not arise for identical couplings. A duality in the role of the coupling ratio yields states with a given concurrence but opposing symmetries. Both the trapping state condition and the resulting entanglement power are robust against decoherence channels.

• Received 17 November 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.70.020301