The characterization of nonstabilizerness is fruitful due to its application in gate synthesis and classical simulation. In particular, the resource monotone called the stabilizer extent is a useful tool to estimate the simulation cost using rank-based simulators, one of the state-of-the-art simulators of Clifford+$T$ circuits. In this work, we propose faster numerical algorithms to compute the stabilizer extent. Our algorithm utilizes the column generation method, which iteratively updates the subset of pure stabilizer states used for calculation. This subset is selected based on the overlaps between all stabilizer states and a target state. In order to update the subset, we make use of a newly proposed subroutine for calculating the stabilizer fidelity that (i) achieves linear time complexity with respect to the number of stabilizer states, (ii) superexponentially reduces the space complexity by in-place calculation, and (iii) prunes unnecessary states for the computation. As a result, our algorithm can compute the stabilizer fidelity and the stabilizer extent for Haar random pure states up to $n=9$ qubits, which naively requires a memory of $305\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}\mathrm{Ei}\mathrm{B}$. We further show that our algorithm runs faster when the target state vector is real. We prove that the problem size is reduced by $\mathcal{O}({2}^{n})$ compared to the general cases, which makes it computable for the case of $n=10$ qubits.
The characterization of nonstabilizerness is fruitful due to its application in gate synthesis and classical simulation. In particular, the resource monotone called the stabilizer extent is a useful tool to estimate the simulation cost using rank-based simulators, one of the state-of-the-art simulators of Clifford+T circuits. In this work, we propose faster numerical algorithms to compute the stabilizer extent. Our algorithm utilizes the column generation method, which iteratively updates the subset of pure stabilizer states used for calculation. This subset is selected based on the overlaps between all stabilizer states and a target state. In order to update the subset, we make use of a newly proposed subroutine for calculating the stabilizer fidelity that (i) achieves linear time complexity with respect to the number of stabilizer states, (ii) superexponentially reduces the space complexity by in-place calculation, and (iii) prunes unnecessary states for the computation. As a result, our algorithm can compute the stabilizer fidelity and the stabilizer extent for Haar random pure states up to n=9 qubits, which naively requires a memory of 305EiB. We further show that our algorithm runs faster when the target state vector is real. We prove that the problem size is reduced by O(2n) compared to the general cases, which makes it computable for the case of n=10 qubits.
Stabilizer entropies (SEs) are measures of nonstabilizerness or "magic" that quantify the degree to which a state is described by stabilizers. SEs are especially interesting due to their connections to scrambling, localization and property testing. However, applications have been limited so far as previously known measurement protocols for SEs scale exponentially with the number of qubits. Here, we efficiently measure SEs for integer Rényi index n>1 via Bell measurements. The SE of N-qubit quantum states can be measured with O(n) copies and O(nN) classical computational time, where for even n we additionally require the complex conjugate of the state. We provide efficient bounds of various nonstabilizerness monotones that are intractable to compute beyond a few qubits. Using the IonQ quantum computer, we measure SEs of random Clifford circuits doped with non-Clifford gates and give bounds for the stabilizer fidelity, stabilizer extent, and robustness of magic. We provide efficient algorithms to measure Clifford-averaged 4n-point out-of-time-order correlators and multifractal flatness. With these measures we study the scrambling time of doped Clifford circuits and random Hamiltonian evolution depending on nonstabilizerness. Counterintuitively, random Hamiltonian evolution becomes less scrambled at long times, which we reveal with the multifractal flatness. Our results open up the exploration of nonstabilizerness with quantum computers.
We prove that every pure state of stabilizer rank at most k has stabilizer extent at most 2O(klog(k+1)), and establish the analogous bound for the squared Clifford coefficient norm of Clifford-rank-k operators. This implies stabilizer fidelity at least 2−O(klog(k+1)), resolving the quantitative conjecture of (Mehraban-Tamasbi, STOC, 2025), and proves an Ω(n2/logn) lower bound for the approximate stabilizer rank of tensor powers of any non-stabilizer qubit state. The latter result generalizes the best-known lower bound for tensor powers of T-states (Mehraban-Tamasbi, STOC, 2024) to arbitrary non-stabilizer qubit states, including magic states.
As a consequence of the Clifford rank--norm inequality, we obtain an Ω(n2/logn) lower bound for exact representations of n-bit AND function by quadratic phases, improving the previous best-known linear bound. Further consequences rule out pseudorandom state and unitary ensembles with approximate stabilizer and Clifford rank O((logn)2/loglogn), respectively, a logn improvement over prior work (Kalra-Sinha, Quantum, 2026). We also obtain tomography algorithms for states of stabilizer rank at most k, with poly(n)2O(klog(k+1)) time and copy complexity, a nearly square-root improvement in the exponent over the best-known algorithm.
Nonstabilizerness, or magic, is an essential quantum resource for performing universal quantum computation. Specifically, Robustness of Magic (RoM) characterizes the usefulness of a given quantum state for non-Clifford operations. While the mathematical formalism of RoM is concise, determining RoM in practice is highly challenging due to the necessity of dealing with a super-exponential number of stabilizer states. In this work, we present novel algorithms to compute RoM. The key technique is a subroutine for calculating overlaps between all stabilizer states and a target state, with the following remarkable features: (i) the time complexity per state is reduced {exponentially}, and (ii) the total space complexity is reduced {super-exponentially}. Based on this subroutine, we present algorithms to compute RoM for arbitrary states up to n = 8 qubits, whereas the naive method requires a memory size of at least 86 PiB , which is infeasible for any current classical computer. Additionally, the proposed subroutine enables the computation of stabilizer fidelity for a mixed state up to n = 8 qubits. We further propose novel algorithms that exploit prior knowledge of the structure of the target quantum state, such as permutation symmetry or disentanglement, and numerically demonstrate our results for copies of magic states and partially disentangled quantum states. This series of algorithms constitutes a comprehensive ``handbook'' for scaling up the computation of RoM. We envision that the proposed technique will also apply to the computation of other quantum resource measures.
We study the complexity of learning quantum states in various models with respect to the stabilizer formalism and obtain the following results: We prove that Ω(n) T-gates are necessary for any Clifford+T circuit to prepare computationally pseudorandom quantum states, an exponential improvement over the previously known bound. This bound is asymptotically tight if linear-time quantum-secure pseudorandom functions exist. Given an n-qubit pure quantum state |ψ⟩ that has fidelity at least τ with some stabilizer state, we give an algorithm that outputs a succinct description of a stabilizer state that witnesses fidelity at least τ − ε. The algorithm uses O(n/(ε2τ4)) samples and exp(O(n/τ4)) / ε2 time. In the regime of τ constant, this algorithm estimates stabilizer fidelity substantially faster than the naive exp(O(n2))-time brute-force algorithm over all stabilizer states. In the special case of τ > cos2(π/8), we show that a modification of the above algorithm runs in polynomial time. We exhibit a tolerant property testing algorithm for stabilizer states. The underlying algorithmic primitive in all of our results is Bell difference sampling. To prove our results, we establish and/or strengthen connections between Bell difference sampling, symplectic Fourier analysis, and graph theory.
One of the state of the art techniques for classically simulating quantum circuits relies on approximating the output state of the circuit by a superposition of stabilizer states. \nIf the number of non-Clifford gates in the circuit is small, such simulations can be very effective. \nThis thesis provides various improvements in this framework. First, we describe an improved method of computing approximate stabilizer decompositions, which reduces the time cost of computing a single term in the decomposition from O(elln2) to O(mn2), where ell is the total number of gates in the circuit, and m is the number of non-Clifford gates. \nSince this subroutine has to be repeated exponentially many times, this improvement can be significant in practice whenever ellggm. \nOur method uses a certain re-writing of the circuit, which in some cases allows for a significant amelioration of the exponential scaling of the required classical resources. \n \nFurthermore, we describe a method of constructing exact, low-rank stabilizer decompositions of ketpsiotimesm, where ketpsi is either a magic state or an equatorial state. \nFor any single qubit magic state ketpsi, we find stabilizer decompositions of ketpsiotimesm with 2mlog2(3)/4 terms. This improves on the best known bound of 2mlog2(7)/6. \nSimilarly, for any single qubit equatorial state ketpsi, we give a stabilizer decomposition of ketpsiotimesm with 2m/2 terms. \nTo our knowledge no such decompositions were previously known. \nThese results translate to milder exponential scaling of the classical resources required for estimating probabilities of quantum circuits up to a polynomially small multiplicative error, as well as allowing more types of circuits to be simulated in this way. \n \nWe also consider certain obstructions to classical simulations. \nIt has been argued in various contexts that contextuality and non-locality hamper classical simulations of quantum circuits. \nLinear constraint systems (LCSs) are a generalization of the well-known Peres-Mermin magic square, which has been recently used to prove a separation between the power of constant depth classical and quantum circuits. \n \nWhile binary LCSs have been studied in detail, d-ary LCSs are less well-understood. In this thesis we consider linear constraint systems modulo d>2. We give a simple proof, of the previously known fact, that any linear constraint system which admits a quantum solution consisting of generalized Pauli observables in odd dimension must be classically satisfiable. We further prove that, for odd d, if a Pauli-like commutation relation between two variables in the LCS arises, then it has no quantum solutions in any dimensions, in stark contrast to the even d case. We apply this result to various examples, for instance showing that many generalizations of the Peres-Mermin magic square do not give rise to a quantum vs. classical satisfiability gap.
The Gottesman-Knill theorem states that a Clifford circuit acting on stabilizer states can be simulated efficiently on a classical computer. Recently, this result has been generalized to cover inputs that are close to a coherent superposition of logarithmically many stabilizer states. The runtime of the classical simulation is governed by the stabilizer extent , which roughly measures how many stabilizer states are needed to approximate the state. An important open problem is to decide whether the extent is multiplicative under tensor products. An affirmative answer would yield an efficient algorithm for computing the extent of product inputs, while a negative result implies the existence of more efficient classical algorithms for simulating largescale quantum circuits. Here, we answer this question in the negative. Our result follows from very general properties of the set of stabilizer states, such as having a size that scales subexponentially in the dimension, and can thus be readily adapted to similar constructions for other resource theories.