Dicke states for two accelerated two-level atoms
Phys. Rev. A 114, 012813 – Published 15 July, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/fqrg-fygm
Abstract
We study two uniformly accelerated two-level atoms moving in the right Rindler wedge and interacting with a massless scalar field. Using a perturbative detector-model framework, we derive analytical expressions for the single- and double-excitation amplitudes and organize the results in the symmetric and antisymmetric Dicke basis. The excitation probabilities exhibit the standard Unruh (Planck) factor together with interference terms that depend on the interatomic separation, thereby controlling the population of the symmetric and antisymmetric components. The calculation yields joint atom-field states whose one-excitation sector naturally admits a Dicke-basis decomposition, providing a clear description of how the excitation dynamics is distributed among the symmetric and antisymmetric channels. These results establish an analytical framework for understanding how acceleration-induced thermality combines with spatial interference in multiatom detector settings.