Anomalous decay of quantum correlations of quantum dot qubits

Abstract: We study the evolution of quantum correlations, quantified by the geometric discord, of two excitonic quantum dot qubits under the influence of the phonon environment. We show that the decay of these correlations differs substantially form the decay of entanglement. Instead of displaying sudden death type behavior, the geometric discord shows a tendency to undergo transitions between different types of decay, is sensitive to non-local phase factors, and may already be enhanced by weak environment-mediated interactions. Hence, two-qubit quantum correlations are more robust under decoherence processes, while showing a richer and more complex spectrum of behavior under unitary and non-unitary evolution.