Magic transition in monitored free fermion dynamics
Abstract
We investigate magic and its connection to entanglement in 1+1 dimensional random free fermion circuits, with a focus on hybrid free fermion dynamics that can exhibit an entanglement phase transition. To quantify magic, we use the Stabilizer R\'enyi Entropy (SRE), which we compute numerically via a perfect sampling algorithm. We show that although the SRE remains extensive as the system transitions from a critical phase to an area-law (disentangled) phase, the structure of magic itself undergoes a delocalization phase transition. This transition is characterized using the bipartite stabilizer mutual information, which exhibits the same scaling behavior as entanglement entropy: logarithmic scaling in the critical phase and a finite constant in the area-law phase. Additionally, we explore the dynamics of SRE. While the total SRE becomes extensive in time, we find that in the critical phase, the relaxation time to the steady-state value is parameterically longer than that in generic random circuits. The relaxation follows a universal form, with a relaxation time that grows linearly with the system size, providing further evidence for the critical nature of the phase.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2507.10688,
title = {Magic transition in monitored free fermion dynamics},
author = {Cheng Wang and Zhi-Cheng Yang and Tianci Zhou and Xiao Chen},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2507.10688},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
12 pages, 8 figures