We present a novel, detailed study on the usefulness of three-mode Gaussian
states states for realistic processing of continuous-variable quantum
information, with a particular emphasis on the possibilities opened up by their
genuine tripartite entanglement. We describe practical schemes to engineer
several classes of pure and mixed three-mode states that stand out for their
informational and/or entanglement properties. In particular, we introduce a
simple procedure -- based on passive optical elements -- to produce pure
three-mode Gaussian states with {\em arbitrary} entanglement structure (upon
availability of an initial two-mode squeezed state). We analyze in depth the
properties of distributed entanglement and the origin of its sharing structure,
showing that the promiscuity of entanglement sharing is a feature peculiar to
symmetric Gaussian states that survives even in the presence of significant
degrees of mixedness and decoherence. Next, we discuss the suitability of the
considered tripartite entangled states to the implementation of quantum
information and communication protocols with continuous variables. This will
lead to a feasible experimental proposal to test the promiscuous sharing of
continuous-variable tripartite entanglement, in terms of the optimal fidelity
of teleportation networks with Gaussian resources. We finally focus on the
application of three-mode states to symmetric and asymmetric telecloning, and
single out the structural properties of the optimal Gaussian resources for the
latter protocol in different settings. Our analysis aims to lay the basis for a
practical quantum communication with continuous variables beyond the bipartite
scenario.Comment: 33 pages, 10 figures (some low-res due to size constraints), IOP
style; (v2) improved and reorganized, accepted for publication in New Journal
of Physic