Beyond pure state entanglement for atomic ensembles

We analyze multipartite entanglement between atomic ensembles within quantum matter–light interfaces. In our proposal, a polarized light beam crosses sequentially several polarized atomic ensembles impinging on each of them at a given angle $\alpha$ i . These angles are crucial parameters for shaping the entanglement since they are directly connected to the appropriate combinations of the collective atomic spins that are squeezed. We exploit such a scheme to go beyond the pure state paradigm proposing realistic experimental settings to address multipartite mixed state entanglement in continuous variables.