Bermúdez, A.Porras Torres, DiegoMartin-Delgado Alcántara, Miguel Ángel2023-06-202023-06-202009-061050-294710.1103/PhysRevA.79.060303https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/42805©2009 The American Physical Society. A.B. and M.A.M.D acknowledge financial support from the Spanish MEC Project FIS2006-04885, CAM-UCM/ 910758, and the ESF Science Programme INSTANS 2005-2010. A.B. acknowledges support from a FPU MEC grant.We propose and theoretically analyze an experimental configuration in which lasers induce three-spin interactions between trapped ions. By properly choosing the intensities and frequencies of the lasers, three-spin couplings may be dominant or comparable to two-spin terms and magnetic fields. In this way, trapped ions can be used to study exotic quantum phases which do not have a counterpart in nature. We study the conditions for the validity of the effective three-spin Hamiltonian and predict qualitatively the quantum phase diagram of the system.engjournal articlehttp://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.79.060303https://journals.aps.orgopen access53Phase diagramsQuantum opticsSpin hamiltoniansTrapped ionsFísica (Física)22 Física