Transfer of quantum coherence and entanglement in weak <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si11.svg"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>e</mml:mi> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> </mml:msup> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>e</mml:mi> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> </mml:msup> <mml:mo>⟶</mml:mo> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>μ</mml:mi> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> </mml:msup> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>μ</mml:mi> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> </mml:msup> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> scattering through Z-boson exchange

Abstract

We theoretically investigate the transfer of quantum coherence and entanglement in a tripartite system arising from the weak scattering process e + e − → μ + μ − mediated by Z -boson exchange. Our setup involves an electron–positron collision in which the incoming positron is initially entangled with a muon acting as a spectator that does not directly participate in the scattering process. Using a quantum-information framework, we track the evolution of bipartite entanglement and non-local coherence during the interaction, employing logarithmic negativity and the l 1 -norm of correlated coherence as quantitative measures. Restricting the analysis to the kinematically allowed region, we show that the scattering induces a redistribution of quantum correlations, transferring entanglement from the initial positron–spectator pair to the produced μ + μ − pair and to spectator–(produced muon) bipartitions. The process can also generate entanglement between one of the produced muons and the distant spectator, despite the absence of any direct interaction between them, illustrating a non-local transfer of quantum resources. At the same time, local coherence exhibits a more limited variation and is progressively reduced as the electron momentum in the center-of-mass frame increases, indicating that the observed behavior is predominantly governed by non-local correlations. These results demonstrate how weak scattering processes can serve as a platform for exploring the dynamics of quantum correlations in high-energy physics.