Magic dynamics in many-body localized systems

Abstract: Nonstabilizerness, also known as quantum magic, characterizes the beyond-Clifford operations needed to prepare a quantum state and constitutes an essential resource, alongside entanglement, for achieving quantum advantage. This work investigates how nonstabilizerness spreads under the dynamics of disordered quantum many-body systems. Using the $\ell$-bit model, a phenomenological model of many-body localization (MBL), we present an analytical description of the nonstabilizerness growth in MBL systems. We demonstrate that our analytical formulas describe the nonstabilizerness growth in strongly disordered quantum spin chains. Our findings establish a new facet of MBL phenomenology and identify the vital role of the disorder in slowing down the growth of the complexity of quantum states, important for our understanding of quantum advantage.