Speedup of quantum-state transfer by three-qubit interactions: Implementation by nuclear magnetic resonance

Universal quantum information processing requires single-qubit rotations and two-qubit interactions as minimal resources. A possible step beyond this minimal scheme is the use of three-qubit interactions. We consider such three-qubit interactions and show how they can reduce the time required for a quantum state transfer in an XY spin chain. For the experimental implementation, we use liquid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, where three-qubit interactions can be implemented by sequences of radio-frequency pulses.