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:2604.20828

Arrow of Time as an indicator of Measurement-Induced Phase Transitions

Nitay Hurvitz, Alon Kochol, Victor Fleurov, Eran Sela

cond-mat.stat-mechquant-phSubmitted Apr 22, 2026• Announced Apr 23, 2026• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Measurement-induced phase transitions (MIPTs) in monitored quantum systems are typically diagnosed using entanglement-based measures. Here, we develop a complementary thermodynamic perspective based on the arrow of time (AoT), which arises from the intrinsic irreversibility of the quantum measurements driving these transitions. We study the AoT - defined as the logarithmic ratio of forward and backward trajectory probabilities - across a family of models exhibiting MIPTs. We find that, like entanglement entropy, the AoT is a nonlinear functional of the averaged density matrix; however, in contrast to entanglement, it is associated with a local operator. To determine whether the AoT exhibits critical behavior, we formulate and exactly solve a model of a random quantum circuit with non-projective measurements. This allows us to analytically demonstrate that the AoT displays nonanalytic behavior and identify its critical exponent. Our results establish the AoT as a novel diagnostic for phase transitions in monitored quantum systems.

Comments
23 pages, 9 figures

Related papers

Relaxation critical dynamics in measurement-induced phase transitions

Wantao Wang, Shuo Liu, Jiaqiang Li +2 more

Measurement-induced phase transition (MIPT) describes the nonanalytical change of the entanglement entropy resulting from the interplay between measurement and unitary evolution. In this paper, we investigate the relaxation critical dynamics near the MIPT for different initial states in a one-dimensional quantum circuit. Specifically, when the initial state is in the volume-law phase with vanishing measurement probability, we find that the half-chain entanglement entropy $S$ decays as $S\propto t^{-1}$ with the coefficients proportional to the size of the system in the short-time stage; In contrast, when the initial state is the product state, $S$ increases with time as $S\propto \ln{t}$, consistent with previous studies. Despite these contrasting behaviors, we develop a unified scaling form to describe these scaling behaviors for different initial states where the off-critical-point effects can also be incorporated. This framework offers significant advantages for experimental MIPT detection. Our novel scheme, leveraging relaxation dynamical scaling, drastically reduces post-selection overhead, and can eliminate it completely with trackable classical simulation.

arXiv:2502.13408•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Dec 23, 2025•2 citations

Post-selected Criticality in Measurement-induced Phase Transitions

Dolly Nambi, Kabir Khanna, Andrew Allocca +4 more

Information-theoretic phase transitions, such as the measurement-induced phase transition (MIPT), characterize the robustness of quantum dynamics to local monitoring and are naturally formulated in terms of trajectories conditioned on typical measurement outcomes, which are naively accessible only through postselection. Here, we implement forced measurements to investigate how explicit postselection alters the nature of the transition. We find that postselection fundamentally alters the universality class by reweighting trajectories that are otherwise rare. In particular, we obtain a correlation-length exponent $ν\approx 2.1$ larger than that of the standard MIPT and a negative effective central charge $c_\mathrm{eff}\approx -0.35$. We also compare the postselected MIPT to the entanglement transition of random tensor networks, and demonstrate that their universality class is the same. This setup further allows time-periodic, translationally invariant circuits with postselected weak measurements. In both models, we find that an on-site dimension of at least 3 (qutrits but not qubits) is necessary to induce a transition.

quant-pharXiv:2603.15744•Physical Review Letters•Mar 18, 2026•0 citations

Driven Critical Dynamics in Measurement-induced Phase Transitions

Wang, Wantao, Shuo Liu, Jiaqiang Li +2 more

Measurement-induced phase transitions (MIPT), characterizing abrupt changes in entanglement properties in quantum many-body systems subjected to unitary evolution with interspersed projective measurements, have garnered increasing interest. In this work, we generalize the Kibble-Zurek (KZ) driven critical dynamics that has achieved great success in traditional quantum and classical phase transitions to MIPT. By linearly changing the measurement probability $p$ to cross the critical point $p_c$ with driving velocity $R$, we identify the dynamic scaling relation of the entanglement entropy $S$ versus $R$ at $p_c$. For decreasing $p$ from the area-law phase, $S$ satisfies $S\propto \ln R$; while for increasing $p$ from the volume-law phase, $S$ satisfies $S\propto R^{1/r}$ in which $r=z+1/ν$ with $z$ and $ν$ being the dynamic and correlation length exponents, respectively. Moreover, we find that the driven dynamics from the volume-law phase violates the adiabatic-impulse scenario of the KZ mechanism. In spite of this, a unified finite-time scaling (FTS) form can be developed to describe these scaling behaviors. Besides, the dynamic scaling of the entanglement entropy of an auxiliary qubit $S_Q$ is also investigated to further confirm the universality of the FTS form. By successfully establishing the driven dynamic scaling theory of this newfashioned entanglement transition, we bring a new fundamental perspective into MIPT that can be detected in fast-developing quantum computers.

arXiv:2411.06648•Nov 11, 2024•1 citation

Measurement-Induced Phase Transitions: Universal Entanglement Scaling at Quantum Criticality — E8 Intelligence Research

Andrew Stewart Caldin

FINDING: Measurement-induced phase transitions (MIPT) in quantum systems reveal a sharp entanglement phase boundary driven by the competition between unitary evolution and projective measurements, with critical points often characterized by universal exponents and effective central charges. | MATH: The MIPT is typically studied via the entanglement entropy \(S = -\text{Tr}(\rho_A \ln \rho_A)\) scaling as \(S \sim \frac{c}{6} \ln L\) at criticality (for 1+1D conformal field theory), where \(c\) is the effective central charge. The critical measurement rate \(p_c\) separates volume-law (\(S \propto L\)) from area-law (\(S \propto \text{const}\)) phases. For Clifford circuits, the transition is in the percolation universality class with \(c = 0\) (or \(c = \ln 2\) for Haar random circuits). The "1/(2π)" appears in the context of the quantum Zeno effect: for a system measured at rate \(\gamma\), the effective Hamiltonian is \(H_{\text{eff}} = H - i \frac{\gamma}{2} \sum_m |m\rangle\langle Author: Andrew Stewart Caldin, Independent Researcher, UK. Part of the E8 Intelligence Research series. Platform: e8intelligence.com

•Oct 16, 2026•0 citations

Localizable Entanglement as an Order Parameter for Measurement-Induced Phase Transitions

Sourav Manna, Arul Lakshminarayan, Vaibhav Madhok

We identify localizable entanglement (LE) as an order parameter for measurement-induced phase transitions (MIPT). LE exhibits universal finite-size scaling with critical exponents that match previous MIPT results and gives a nice operational interpretation connecting MIPTs to classical percolation. Remarkably, we find that LE decays exponentially with distance in the area-law phase as opposed to being essentially constant for the volume-law phase thereby, discover an intrinsic length scale $ξ_E$ that diverges at the critical measurement probability $p_c$. While classical percolation transition captures successful transport across a network, MIPT as characterized by LE can be interpreted as quantifying the amount of quantum teleportation between two given nodes in a quantum circuit. Building on this insight, we propose a two-ancilla protocol that provides an experimentally accessible readout of entanglement redistribution across the transition.

quant-pharXiv:2601.14185•Physical Review A•Jan 21, 2026•0 citations

Measurement-induced phase transition in free bosons

Kazuki Yokomizo, Yuto Ashida

The competition between quantum many-particle dynamics and continuous monitoring can lead to measurement-induced phase transitions (MIPTs). So far, MIPTs have been extensively explored in fermionic or spin systems. To examine the possibility of an MIPT in bosonic systems, we study the entanglement structure in continuously monitored free bosons with long-range couplings. When the measurement is local, we find that no MIPTs occur because the substantial entanglement generated by the long-range coupling overcomes the entanglement destruction due to the measurement. In contrast, we show that the nonlocal measurement can efficiently suppress the entanglement generation, leading to an MIPT where the bipartite entanglement entropy exhibits the subvolume-to-area law phase transition as the measurement strength is increased. Our numerical results indicate that the critical point should be described by a certain conformal field theory, while the transition does not belong to a conventional universality class such as Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless class.

arXiv:2405.19768•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•May 27, 2025•6 citations
Measurement-induced phase transitions (MIPTs) in monitored quantum systems are typically diagnosed using entanglement-based measures. Here, we develop a complementary thermodynamic perspective based on the arrow of time (AoT), which arises from the intrinsic irreversibility of the quantum measurements driving these transitions. We study the AoT - defined as the logarithmic ratio of forward and backward trajectory probabilities - across a family of models exhibiting MIPTs. We find that, like entanglement entropy, the AoT is a nonlinear functional of the averaged density matrix; however, in contrast to entanglement, it is associated with a local operator. To determine whether the AoT exhibits critical behavior, we formulate and exactly solve a model of a random quantum circuit with non-projective measurements. This allows us to analytically demonstrate that the AoT displays nonanalytic behavior and identify its critical exponent. Our results establish the AoT as a novel diagnostic for phase transitions in monitored quantum systems.
Measurement-induced phase transition (MIPT) describes the nonanalytical change of the entanglement entropy resulting from the interplay between measurement and unitary evolution. In this paper, we investigate the relaxation critical dynamics near the MIPT for different initial states in a one-dimensional quantum circuit. Specifically, when the initial state is in the volume-law phase with vanishing measurement probability, we find that the half-chain entanglement entropy SSS decays as S∝t−1S\propto t^{-1}S∝t−1 with the coefficients proportional to the size of the system in the short-time stage; In contrast, when the initial state is the product state, SSS increases with time as S∝ln⁡tS\propto \ln{t}S∝lnt, consistent with previous studies. Despite these contrasting behaviors, we develop a unified scaling form to describe these scaling behaviors for different initial states where the off-critical-point effects can also be incorporated. This framework offers significant advantages for experimental MIPT detection. Our novel scheme, leveraging relaxation dynamical scaling, drastically reduces post-selection overhead, and can eliminate it completely with trackable classical simulation.
Information-theoretic phase transitions, such as the measurement-induced phase transition (MIPT), characterize the robustness of quantum dynamics to local monitoring and are naturally formulated in terms of trajectories conditioned on typical measurement outcomes, which are naively accessible only through postselection. Here, we implement forced measurements to investigate how explicit postselection alters the nature of the transition. We find that postselection fundamentally alters the universality class by reweighting trajectories that are otherwise rare. In particular, we obtain a correlation-length exponent ν≈2.1ν\approx 2.1ν≈2.1 larger than that of the standard MIPT and a negative effective central charge ceff≈−0.35c_\mathrm{eff}\approx -0.35ceff​≈−0.35. We also compare the postselected MIPT to the entanglement transition of random tensor networks, and demonstrate that their universality class is the same. This setup further allows time-periodic, translationally invariant circuits with postselected weak measurements. In both models, we find that an on-site dimension of at least 3 (qutrits but not qubits) is necessary to induce a transition.
Measurement-induced phase transitions (MIPT), characterizing abrupt changes in entanglement properties in quantum many-body systems subjected to unitary evolution with interspersed projective measurements, have garnered increasing interest. In this work, we generalize the Kibble-Zurek (KZ) driven critical dynamics that has achieved great success in traditional quantum and classical phase transitions to MIPT. By linearly changing the measurement probability ppp to cross the critical point pcp_cpc​ with driving velocity RRR, we identify the dynamic scaling relation of the entanglement entropy SSS versus RRR at pcp_cpc​. For decreasing ppp from the area-law phase, SSS satisfies S∝ln⁡RS\propto \ln RS∝lnR; while for increasing ppp from the volume-law phase, SSS satisfies S∝R1/rS\propto R^{1/r}S∝R1/r in which r=z+1/νr=z+1/νr=z+1/ν with zzz and ννν being the dynamic and correlation length exponents, respectively. Moreover, we find that the driven dynamics from the volume-law phase violates the adiabatic-impulse scenario of the KZ mechanism. In spite of this, a unified finite-time scaling (FTS) form can be developed to describe these scaling behaviors. Besides, the dynamic scaling of the entanglement entropy of an auxiliary qubit SQS_QSQ​ is also investigated to further confirm the universality of the FTS form. By successfully establishing the driven dynamic scaling theory of this newfashioned entanglement transition, we bring a new fundamental perspective into MIPT that can be detected in fast-developing quantum computers.
FINDING: Measurement-induced phase transitions (MIPT) in quantum systems reveal a sharp entanglement phase boundary driven by the competition between unitary evolution and projective measurements, with critical points often characterized by universal exponents and effective central charges. | MATH: The MIPT is typically studied via the entanglement entropy S=−Tr(ρAln⁡ρA)S = -\text{Tr}(\rho_A \ln \rho_A)S=−Tr(ρA​lnρA​) scaling as S∼c6ln⁡LS \sim \frac{c}{6} \ln LS∼6c​lnL at criticality (for 1+1D conformal field theory), where ccc is the effective central charge. The critical measurement rate pcp_cpc​ separates volume-law (S∝LS \propto LS∝L) from area-law (S∝constS \propto \text{const}S∝const) phases. For Clifford circuits, the transition is in the percolation universality class with c=0c = 0c=0 (or c=ln⁡2c = \ln 2c=ln2 for Haar random circuits). The "1/(2π)" appears in the context of the quantum Zeno effect: for a system measured at rate γ\gammaγ, the effective Hamiltonian is \(H_{\text{eff}} = H - i \frac{\gamma}{2} \sum_m |m\rangle\langle Author: Andrew Stewart Caldin, Independent Researcher, UK. Part of the E8 Intelligence Research series. Platform: e8intelligence.com
We identify localizable entanglement (LE) as an order parameter for measurement-induced phase transitions (MIPT). LE exhibits universal finite-size scaling with critical exponents that match previous MIPT results and gives a nice operational interpretation connecting MIPTs to classical percolation. Remarkably, we find that LE decays exponentially with distance in the area-law phase as opposed to being essentially constant for the volume-law phase thereby, discover an intrinsic length scale ξEξ_EξE​ that diverges at the critical measurement probability pcp_cpc​. While classical percolation transition captures successful transport across a network, MIPT as characterized by LE can be interpreted as quantifying the amount of quantum teleportation between two given nodes in a quantum circuit. Building on this insight, we propose a two-ancilla protocol that provides an experimentally accessible readout of entanglement redistribution across the transition.
The competition between quantum many-particle dynamics and continuous monitoring can lead to measurement-induced phase transitions (MIPTs). So far, MIPTs have been extensively explored in fermionic or spin systems. To examine the possibility of an MIPT in bosonic systems, we study the entanglement structure in continuously monitored free bosons with long-range couplings. When the measurement is local, we find that no MIPTs occur because the substantial entanglement generated by the long-range coupling overcomes the entanglement destruction due to the measurement. In contrast, we show that the nonlocal measurement can efficiently suppress the entanglement generation, leading to an MIPT where the bipartite entanglement entropy exhibits the subvolume-to-area law phase transition as the measurement strength is increased. Our numerical results indicate that the critical point should be described by a certain conformal field theory, while the transition does not belong to a conventional universality class such as Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless class.