Effect of entanglement on the decay dynamics of a pair of H(2p) atoms due to spontaneous emission

Abstract

We have measured the coincidence time spectra of two Lyman-α photons emitted by a pair of H(2p) atoms in the photodissociation of H2 at the incident photon energy of 33.66 eV and at the hydrogen gas pressures of 0.40 and 0.02 Pa. The decay time constant at 0.02 Pa is approximately half the lifetime of a single H(2p) atom, 1.60 ns, while the decay time constant at 0.40 Pa is in agreement with the lifetime of a single H(2p) atom. It turns out that the decay faster than the lifetime of a single H(2p) atom originates from the entanglement in the pair of H(2p) atoms. We have demonstrated an effect of entanglement on atomic decay