  We propose a protocol based on a tunneling plus particle-detection process
aimed at generating tripartite entanglement in a system of 3 indistinguishable
fermions in a triple-well potential, initially prepared in a state exhibiting
only exchange correlations. Particular attention is paid to the generation of
fermionic ghz- and w-type states, which are analogous to the usual ghz- and
w-type states defined in composites of distinguishable qubits. The protocol
succeeds in generating fermionic w-type states, and the ensuing state becomes
effectively equivalent to a 3-distinguishable-qubit w-type state shared among
three localized parties. The protocol, however, is unable to generate ghz-type
states, a result that highlights the fundamental inequivalence between these
two types of states, and throws light into the characterization of processes
that guarantee the emergence of specific kinds of multipartite entanglement in
systems of identical parties. Our findings suggest new paths for the
exploration, generation and exploitation of multipartite entanglement in
composites of indistinguishable particles, as a useful resource for quantum
information processing.
