Array of planar Penning traps as a nuclear magnetic resonance molecule for quantum computation

An array of planar Penning traps, holding single electrons, can realize an artificial molecule suitable for NMR-like quantum-information processing. The effective spin-spin coupling is accomplished by applying a magnetic field gradient, combined to the Coulomb interaction acting between the charged particles. The system lends itself to scalability, since the same substrate can easily accommodate an arbitrary number of traps. Moreover, the coupling strength is tunable and under experimental control. Our theoretical predictions take into account a realistic setting, within the reach of current technology.