Coherent quantum effects through dispersive bosonic media

The coherent evolution of two atomic qubits mediated by a set of bosonic field modes is investigated. By assuming a specific encoding of the quantum states in the internal levels of the two atoms we show that entangling quantum gates can be realised, with high fidelity, even when a large number of mediating modes is involved. The effect of losses and imperfections on the gates' operation is also considered in detail.