When the first particle of an entangled quantum pair interacts with a third particle, the entanglement between the first and second particles generally becomes disrupted or destroyed. This phenomenon is known as quantum decoherence.
Entanglement is a delicate and fragile quantum state that relies on the coherent behavior of particles. When a particle interacts with its environment or other particles, such as the third particle in your question, it undergoes a process called entanglement swapping. This interaction disrupts the entanglement between the first and second particles, effectively transferring the entanglement to a new pair involving the first particle and the third particle.
The specifics of how entanglement is affected depend on the nature of the interaction and the properties of the particles involved. In some cases, the entanglement may be partially preserved, but it is generally diminished or completely lost due to the complex entanglement dynamics.
Quantum decoherence refers to the loss of coherence in quantum systems, which leads to the degradation or disappearance of quantum phenomena such as superposition and entanglement. The interaction with the third particle introduces additional degrees of freedom into the system, causing the entangled state to become entangled with the new particle and losing its original entanglement.
It's important to note that quantum mechanics is a complex and still actively researched field, and there may be specific scenarios or experimental setups where entanglement preservation or other quantum phenomena can occur even in the presence of additional particles. However, in general, the interaction of an entangled particle with a third particle disrupts the original entanglement between the first and second particles.