Entanglement and the SU(2) phase states in atomic systems

Abstract

We show that a system of $2n$ identical two-level atoms interacting with n cavity photons manifests entanglement and that the set of entangled states coincides with the so-called SU(2) phase states. In particular, violation of classical realism in terms of the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger and Clauser-Horne-Shimoni-Holt conditions is proved. We discuss a property of entanglement expressed in terms of local measurements. We also show that generation of entangled states in the atom-photon systems under consideration strongly depends on the choice of initial conditions and that the parasitic influence of cavity detuning can be compensated through the use of Kerr medium.