Incoherent dynamics in entanglement distribution with separable states

Distributing entanglement between two or more systems enables a variety of quantum information applications. Surprisingly, entanglement can be distributed using a carrier which is always separable from the rest of the systems involved. Up to now, this effect has predominantly been analyzed in the case where the carrier-system interactions take the form of ideal unitary operations, thus leaving untested its robustness against either non-unitary or unitary errors. We address this issue by considering the effect of incoherent dynamics acting alongside imperfect unitary interactions. In particular, we determine the restrictions that need to be placed on the interaction time, as well as the strength of the incoherent dynamics. We have shown that entanglement distribution is still possible, even though the amount of entanglement gained between the systems is not maximal. Therefore, even in experimental settings where unitary operations cannot be carried out without imperfections, it is still possible to generate entanglement between two systems using a separable carrier.