Geometry versus excitation sector in the decoherence of asymmetric $N$-qubit $W$ states

Abstract

We investigate how network geometry and excitation sector separately control pairwise entanglement decay in asymmetric multipartite $W$ states. To disentangle these effects, we introduce an analytically tractable $N$-qubit generalization of the asymmetric Lohmayer geometry and its complementary-excitation partner, yielding inequivalent vertex-base (VB) and base-base (BB) pair classes that can be compared directly with symmetric $W$-state references. We derive closed-form concurrence dynamics under representative one-sided noise models and find that, within either excitation sector, the VB concurrence has exactly the same noise dependence as the corresponding symmetric reference, preserving a noise-independent proportional advantage wherever both remain entangled. The amplitude-damping reordering previously identified for the three-qubit Lohmayer state is therefore a cross-sector effect rather than an intrinsic fragility of the VB geometry. In contrast, the BB pair exhibits a genuine same-sector structural fragility, with lower entanglement-sudden-death thresholds than the VB pair under depolarizing noise and, in the $(N-1)$-excitation sector, under amplitude damping. The results establish network geometry, excitation sector, and noise symmetry as distinct ingredients governing pairwise entanglement robustness in asymmetric quantum networks.