Few studies explored the dynamics of nonclassical correlations besides entanglement in open multipartite quantum systems. Here, we address the time evolution of quantum discord and entanglement in a model of three noninteracting qubits subject to a classical random telegraph noise in common and separated environments. Two initial entangled states of the system are examined, namely the GHZ- and W-type states. The dynamics of quantum correlations results to be strongly affected by the input configuration of the qubits, the type of the system-environment interaction, and the memory properties of the environmental noise. When the qubits are nonlocally coupled to the random telegraph noise, the GHZ-type states partially preserve, at long times, both discord and entanglement, regardless of the correlation time of the environmental noise. The survived entangled states turn out to be also detectable by means of suitable entanglement witnesses. On the other hand, in the same conditions, the decohering effects suppress all the quantum correlation of the W-type states which are thus less robust than the GHZ-type ones. The long-time survival of tripartite discord and entanglement opens interesting perspectives in the use of multipartite entangled states for practical applications in quantum information science.

• Received 6 February 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.87.042310