Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2603.00235

Theory of Magic Phase Transitions in Encoding-Decoding Circuits

Piotr Sierant, Xhek Turkeshi

quant-phcond-mat.stat-mechSubmitted Feb 27, 2026• Announced Mar 3, 2026• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Quantum magic resources, or nonstabilizerness, are a central ingredient for universal quantum computation. In noisy many-body systems, the interplay between these resources and errors leads to sharp magic phase transitions. However, the microscopic mechanism behind these critical phenomena is still an open question, especially since early empirical evidence showed conflicting results regarding their universality classes. In this work, we provide a comprehensive picture of magic phase transitions for the class of encoding-decoding quantum circuits to resolve these ambiguities. We analytically show that the behavior of magic resources is fundamentally dictated by the chosen measurement protocol. When we fix, or post-select, the class of measurement syndromes, the magic transition inherits the universal features of the error-resilience phase transition in the circuits. Interestingly, this clean transition survives even for fully random Haar encoders showing that it is a consequence of initial's state retrieval, and not an artifact of the Clifford encoders. On the other hand, if we consider realistic Born-rule sampling, the intrinsic statistical fluctuations of a given syndrome measurement act as a relevant perturbation. This brings in strong finite-size drifts and an apparent multifractality, which end up altering the critical behavior of the system. We reveal that magic phase transitions are actually direct manifestations of error-resilience thresholds, rather than independent critical phenomena, reconciling conflicting observations from the earlier literature. Ultimately, our framework clarifies how the quantum computational power can survive, or be irreversibly destroyed, due to the competition between scrambling, measurements, and errors.

Comments
27 pages, 9 figures, comments welcome!

Related papers

Rise and fall of nonstabilizerness via random measurements

Annarita Scocco, Wai‐Keong Mok, Leandro Aolita +2 more

We investigate the dynamics of nonstabilizerness—also known as “magic”—in monitored quantum circuits composed of random Clifford unitaries and local measurements. For measurements in the computational basis, we derive an analytical model for dynamics of the stabilizer nullity, showing that it decays in quantized steps and requires exponentially many measurements to vanish, which reveals the strong protection through Clifford scrambling. On the other hand, for measurements performed in rotated non-Clifford bases, measurements can both create and destroy nonstabilizerness. Here, the dynamics leads to a steady state with nontrivial nonstabilizerness, independent of the initial state. We find that Haar-random states equilibrate in constant time, whereas stabilizer states exhibit linear-in-size relaxation time. While the stabilizer nullity is insensitive to the rotation angle, stabilizer Rényi entropies expose a richer structure in their dynamics. Our results uncover sharp distinctions between coarse and fine-grained nonstabilizerness diagnostics and demonstrate how measurements can both suppress and sustain quantum computational resources.

arXiv:2507.11619•Physical Review Research•Dec 23, 2025•4 citations

Spreading of Magic Resource under Unitary Clifford Dynamics

Mircea Bejan, Pieter W. Claeys, Jiangtian Yao

Nonstabilizerness, or quantum magic resource, presents a valuable resource in quantum error correction and computation. We study the dynamics of locally injected nonstabilizerness in unitary Clifford circuits, where the total nonstabilizerness is conserved. However, the absence of physical observables quantifying nonstabilizerness precludes a direct microscopic or hydrodynamic description of its local distribution and dynamics. Using insights from stabilizer quantum error correcting codes, we rigorously show that the spatial distribution of nonstabilizerness can be inferred from a canonical representation of low-magic states, dubbed the bipartite magic gauge. Moreover, we propose two operationally relevant magic length scales. We numerically establish that, at early times, both length scales grow ballistically at distinct velocities set by the entanglement velocity, after which nonstabilizerness delocalizes. Our work sheds light on the spatiotemporal structure of quantum resources and complexity in many-body dynamics, opening up avenues for investigating their transport properties and further connections with quantum error correction.

quant-pharXiv:2511.21487•Physical Review Letters•Nov 27, 2025•1 citation

Error-Resilience Phase Transitions in Encoding-Decoding Quantum Circuits

Xhek Turkeshi, Piotr Sierant

Understanding how errors deteriorate the information encoded in a many-body quantum system is a fundamental problem with practical implications for quantum technologies. Here, we investigate a class of encoding-decoding random circuits subject to local coherent and incoherent errors. We analytically demonstrate the existence of a phase transition from an error-protecting phase to an error-vulnerable phase occurring when the error strength is increased. This transition is accompanied by Rényi entropy transitions and by onset of multifractal features in the system. Our results provide a new perspective on storing and processing quantum information, while the introduced framework enables an analytic understanding of a dynamical critical phenomenon in a many-body system.

arXiv:2308.06321•Physical Review Letters•Apr 1, 2024•33 citations

Quantum magic dynamics in random circuits

Yuzhen Zhang, Yingfei Gu

Magic refers to the degree of “quantumness” in a system that cannot be fully described by stabilizer states and Clifford operations alone. In quantum computing, stabilizer states and Clifford operations can be efficiently simulated on a classical computer, even though they may appear complicated from the perspective of entanglement. In this sense, magic is a crucial resource for unlocking the unique computational power of quantum computers to address problems that are classically intractable. Magic can be quantified by measures such as Wigner negativity and mana that satisfy fundamental properties such as monotonicity under Clifford operations. In this paper, we generalize the statistical mechanical mapping methods of large- q random circuits to the calculation of Rényi Wigner negativity and mana. Based on this, we find: (1) a precise formula describing the competition between magic and entanglement in many-body states prepared under Haar random circuits; (2) a formula describing the spreading and scrambling of magic in states evolved under random Clifford circuits; (3) a quantitative description of magic “squeezing” and “teleportation” under measurements. Finally, we comment on the relation between coherent information and magic.

arXiv:2410.21128•npj Quantum Information•May 14, 2026•7 citations

Quantum resource localizability transitions in deep thermalization

Xiaozhou Feng, Chang Liu, Zihan Cheng +2 more

We investigate how quantum resource constraints affect deep thermalization, the emergence of universal local wavefunction distributions from partial measurements of a quantum many-body state. Quantum resources, such as non-stabilizerness (magic), coherence, asymmetry, imaginarity, and non-Gaussianity, are essential for quantum information processing, and constraints on their global abundance can reshape these emergent distributions. To address this question, we develop a unified framework for deep thermalization within general quantum resource theories (QRTs). Our central result is that QRTs fall into two classes: ``smoothly localizable'' (SL) QRTs, where the resource content of local post-measurement states changes continuously with the global resource density, set by the initial state and measurement basis, yielding continuously tunable wavefunction distributions; and ``threshold localizable'' (TL) QRTs, where the local resource content jumps discontinuously from minimal to near-maximal past a critical global resource threshold, producing a sharp transition between a resourceless, ``deep-ergodicity breaking'' distribution and a resourceful, maximally random one. We trace this SL-TL dichotomy to an information-theoretic mechanism, block sharpening: by viewing each QRT as coherence between blocks in Hilbert space, we show that the local resource content depends on the measurement's ability to collapse an initial superposition into a single resourceless block. Our theory is analytically tractable and quantitatively predicts the phase boundaries across all studied QRTs, which we validate with extensive numerical simulations. Finally, we highlight two consequences: a novel magic transition in zero-rate quantum error-correcting codes--previously believed to occur only at finite rates--and new implications for quantum resource certification protocols based on post-measurement state ensembles.

quant-pharXiv:2606.08756•Jun 9, 2026•0 citations

Experimental Observation of Error-Resilience Phase Transition on Superconducting Quantum Processor

Emanuel Dallas, Mario Morford-Oberst, Eric Weine

Random unitaries scramble quantum information into highly nonlocal degrees of freedom, thereby providing protection from local noise. However, as demonstrated by Turkeshi and Sierant (Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 140401, 2024 and arXiv:2603.00235), this protection may fail once local noise grows sufficiently strong. These works describe a phase transition in a noisy random encoding-decoding circuit model between an error-protecting phase, in which encoded information is recoverable, and an error-vulnerable phase, in which encoded information is lost, with the transition occurring at a critical coherent noise angle $α_c \approx 1.14$. Here, we present the first experimental observation of this transition, conducted on IBM's ibm_pittsburgh Heron r3 device for system sizes of up to $N = 26$ qubits. We detect this transition via three order parameters: fidelity, Rényi-2 entanglement entropy, and stabilizer Rényi-2 entropy. For the latter two, we employ randomized measurement protocols to construct estimators, and for all three, we rely on zero-noise extrapolation and M3 SPAM error mitigation. We then jointly model the finite-size scaling collapse across all three order parameters with a Gaussian process regression, yielding a critical angle $α_c \approx 1.01$, well below the theoretical value. Inputting noiseless simulated data into the same model yields $α_c \approx 1.05$, implying that the discrepancy between experiment and theory is due to our encoding circuits, which are not deep enough to be truly Haar-random. Finally, we observe that the same model cannot adequately identify critical behavior in unmitigated, raw experimental data. This indicates that error mitigation techniques are crucial for detecting the transition on hardware.

quant-pharXiv:2610.38148•Oct 29, 2026•0 citations
Quantum magic resources, or nonstabilizerness, are a central ingredient for universal quantum computation. In noisy many-body systems, the interplay between these resources and errors leads to sharp magic phase transitions. However, the microscopic mechanism behind these critical phenomena is still an open question, especially since early empirical evidence showed conflicting results regarding their universality classes. In this work, we provide a comprehensive picture of magic phase transitions for the class of encoding-decoding quantum circuits to resolve these ambiguities. We analytically show that the behavior of magic resources is fundamentally dictated by the chosen measurement protocol. When we fix, or post-select, the class of measurement syndromes, the magic transition inherits the universal features of the error-resilience phase transition in the circuits. Interestingly, this clean transition survives even for fully random Haar encoders showing that it is a consequence of initial's state retrieval, and not an artifact of the Clifford encoders. On the other hand, if we consider realistic Born-rule sampling, the intrinsic statistical fluctuations of a given syndrome measurement act as a relevant perturbation. This brings in strong finite-size drifts and an apparent multifractality, which end up altering the critical behavior of the system. We reveal that magic phase transitions are actually direct manifestations of error-resilience thresholds, rather than independent critical phenomena, reconciling conflicting observations from the earlier literature. Ultimately, our framework clarifies how the quantum computational power can survive, or be irreversibly destroyed, due to the competition between scrambling, measurements, and errors.
We investigate the dynamics of nonstabilizerness—also known as “magic”—in monitored quantum circuits composed of random Clifford unitaries and local measurements. For measurements in the computational basis, we derive an analytical model for dynamics of the stabilizer nullity, showing that it decays in quantized steps and requires exponentially many measurements to vanish, which reveals the strong protection through Clifford scrambling. On the other hand, for measurements performed in rotated non-Clifford bases, measurements can both create and destroy nonstabilizerness. Here, the dynamics leads to a steady state with nontrivial nonstabilizerness, independent of the initial state. We find that Haar-random states equilibrate in constant time, whereas stabilizer states exhibit linear-in-size relaxation time. While the stabilizer nullity is insensitive to the rotation angle, stabilizer Rényi entropies expose a richer structure in their dynamics. Our results uncover sharp distinctions between coarse and fine-grained nonstabilizerness diagnostics and demonstrate how measurements can both suppress and sustain quantum computational resources.
Nonstabilizerness, or quantum magic resource, presents a valuable resource in quantum error correction and computation. We study the dynamics of locally injected nonstabilizerness in unitary Clifford circuits, where the total nonstabilizerness is conserved. However, the absence of physical observables quantifying nonstabilizerness precludes a direct microscopic or hydrodynamic description of its local distribution and dynamics. Using insights from stabilizer quantum error correcting codes, we rigorously show that the spatial distribution of nonstabilizerness can be inferred from a canonical representation of low-magic states, dubbed the bipartite magic gauge. Moreover, we propose two operationally relevant magic length scales. We numerically establish that, at early times, both length scales grow ballistically at distinct velocities set by the entanglement velocity, after which nonstabilizerness delocalizes. Our work sheds light on the spatiotemporal structure of quantum resources and complexity in many-body dynamics, opening up avenues for investigating their transport properties and further connections with quantum error correction.
Understanding how errors deteriorate the information encoded in a many-body quantum system is a fundamental problem with practical implications for quantum technologies. Here, we investigate a class of encoding-decoding random circuits subject to local coherent and incoherent errors. We analytically demonstrate the existence of a phase transition from an error-protecting phase to an error-vulnerable phase occurring when the error strength is increased. This transition is accompanied by Rényi entropy transitions and by onset of multifractal features in the system. Our results provide a new perspective on storing and processing quantum information, while the introduced framework enables an analytic understanding of a dynamical critical phenomenon in a many-body system.
Magic refers to the degree of “quantumness” in a system that cannot be fully described by stabilizer states and Clifford operations alone. In quantum computing, stabilizer states and Clifford operations can be efficiently simulated on a classical computer, even though they may appear complicated from the perspective of entanglement. In this sense, magic is a crucial resource for unlocking the unique computational power of quantum computers to address problems that are classically intractable. Magic can be quantified by measures such as Wigner negativity and mana that satisfy fundamental properties such as monotonicity under Clifford operations. In this paper, we generalize the statistical mechanical mapping methods of large- q random circuits to the calculation of Rényi Wigner negativity and mana. Based on this, we find: (1) a precise formula describing the competition between magic and entanglement in many-body states prepared under Haar random circuits; (2) a formula describing the spreading and scrambling of magic in states evolved under random Clifford circuits; (3) a quantitative description of magic “squeezing” and “teleportation” under measurements. Finally, we comment on the relation between coherent information and magic.
We investigate how quantum resource constraints affect deep thermalization, the emergence of universal local wavefunction distributions from partial measurements of a quantum many-body state. Quantum resources, such as non-stabilizerness (magic), coherence, asymmetry, imaginarity, and non-Gaussianity, are essential for quantum information processing, and constraints on their global abundance can reshape these emergent distributions. To address this question, we develop a unified framework for deep thermalization within general quantum resource theories (QRTs). Our central result is that QRTs fall into two classes: ``smoothly localizable'' (SL) QRTs, where the resource content of local post-measurement states changes continuously with the global resource density, set by the initial state and measurement basis, yielding continuously tunable wavefunction distributions; and ``threshold localizable'' (TL) QRTs, where the local resource content jumps discontinuously from minimal to near-maximal past a critical global resource threshold, producing a sharp transition between a resourceless, ``deep-ergodicity breaking'' distribution and a resourceful, maximally random one. We trace this SL-TL dichotomy to an information-theoretic mechanism, block sharpening: by viewing each QRT as coherence between blocks in Hilbert space, we show that the local resource content depends on the measurement's ability to collapse an initial superposition into a single resourceless block. Our theory is analytically tractable and quantitatively predicts the phase boundaries across all studied QRTs, which we validate with extensive numerical simulations. Finally, we highlight two consequences: a novel magic transition in zero-rate quantum error-correcting codes--previously believed to occur only at finite rates--and new implications for quantum resource certification protocols based on post-measurement state ensembles.
Random unitaries scramble quantum information into highly nonlocal degrees of freedom, thereby providing protection from local noise. However, as demonstrated by Turkeshi and Sierant (Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 140401, 2024 and arXiv:2603.00235), this protection may fail once local noise grows sufficiently strong. These works describe a phase transition in a noisy random encoding-decoding circuit model between an error-protecting phase, in which encoded information is recoverable, and an error-vulnerable phase, in which encoded information is lost, with the transition occurring at a critical coherent noise angle αc≈1.14α_c \approx 1.14αc​≈1.14. Here, we present the first experimental observation of this transition, conducted on IBM's ibm_pittsburgh Heron r3 device for system sizes of up to N=26N = 26N=26 qubits. We detect this transition via three order parameters: fidelity, Rényi-2 entanglement entropy, and stabilizer Rényi-2 entropy. For the latter two, we employ randomized measurement protocols to construct estimators, and for all three, we rely on zero-noise extrapolation and M3 SPAM error mitigation. We then jointly model the finite-size scaling collapse across all three order parameters with a Gaussian process regression, yielding a critical angle αc≈1.01α_c \approx 1.01αc​≈1.01, well below the theoretical value. Inputting noiseless simulated data into the same model yields αc≈1.05α_c \approx 1.05αc​≈1.05, implying that the discrepancy between experiment and theory is due to our encoding circuits, which are not deep enough to be truly Haar-random. Finally, we observe that the same model cannot adequately identify critical behavior in unmitigated, raw experimental data. This indicates that error mitigation techniques are crucial for detecting the transition on hardware.