  We examine the transition probability from the ground state to a final
entangled state of a system of uniformly accelerated two-level atoms weakly
coupled with a massless scalar field in Minkowski vacuum. Using time-dependent
perturbation theory we evaluate the finite-time response function and we
identify the mutual influence of atoms via the quantum field as a coherence
agent in each response function terms. The associated thermal spectrum
perceived by the atoms is found for a finite time interval. By considering
modifications of specific parameters of our setup, we also analyze how the
transition probabilities are affected by the smoothness of the switching of the
atom-field coupling. In addition, we study the mean life of the symmetric
maximally entangled state for different accelerations. Our calculations reveal
that smooth switching is more efficient than sudden switching concerning the
reduction of the decay of the entangled state. The possible relevance of our
results is discussed.
