Entanglement generation between two atoms via surface modes

We discuss the coupling of two identical atoms, separated by a metal or metamaterial slab, through surface modes. We show that the coupling through the surface modes can induce entanglement. We discuss how to control the coupling for the metal or metamaterial slab by adjusting the symmetrical and antisymmetrical property of the surface modes. We analyze the dispersion relation of the surface modes and study the parameter ranges that support the surface modes with the same properties. Our results have potential applications in quantum communication and quantum computation.