Spin chains with electrons in Penning traps

We demonstrate that spin chains are experimentally feasible using electrons confined in micro-Penning traps, supplemented with local magnetic field gradients. The resulting Heisenberg-like system is characterized by coupling strengths showing a dipolar decay. These spin chains can be used as a channel for short-distance quantum communication. Our scheme offers high accuracy in reproducing an effective spin chain with relatively large transmission rate.

Figure 1

Schematic drawing illustrating two different geometries for a linear array of micro-Penning traps. The traps are represented by sketching the electrostatic potential along the $z$ axis. (a) The electrons are aligned along the $z$ axis, parallel to the confining magnetic field; (b) the electrons are aligned along the $x$ axis, orthogonal to the confining magnetic field.