  We examine the role that interference plays in quantum state transfer through
several types of finite spin chains, including chains with isotropic Heisenberg
interaction between nearest neighbors, chains with reduced coupling constants
to the spins at the end of the chain, and chains with anisotropic coupling
constants. We evaluate quantitatively both the interference corresponding to
the propagation of the entire chain, and the interference in the effective
propagation of the first and last spins only, treating the rest of the chain as
black box. We show that perfect quantum state transfer is possible without
quantum interference, and provide evidence that the spin chains examined
realize interference-free quantum state transfer to a good approximation.
