We examine a generalized Rabi model formed by two identical qubits interacting with a common oscillator mode. In the near-resonance configuration where the oscillator frequency is close to the transition frequency of the qubit, we determine the ground state of the model approximately by using a variational method and a transformation method. Both methods are shown to approximate the ground state accurately for a range of coupling strengths in the ultrastrong-coupling regime. In addition, the accuracy of the approximation can be further improved by using perturbation theory. We also characterize the ground-state entanglement between the two qubits by calculating the negativity.

• Received 19 March 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.88.015802