Quantum complexity phase transition in fermionic quantum circuits

Abstract: Understanding the complexity of quantum many-body systems has been attracting much attention recently for its fundamental importance in characterizing complex quantum phases beyond the scope of quantum entanglement. Here, we investigate Krylov complexity in quantum percolation models (QPM) and establish unconventional phase transitions emergent from the interplay of exponential scaling of the Krylov complexity and the number of spanning clusters in QPM. We develop a general scaling theory for Krylov complexity phase transitions (KCPT) on QPM, and obtain exact results for the critical probabilities and exponents. For non-interacting systems across diverse lattices (1D/2D/3D regular, Bethe, and quasicrystals), our scaling theory reveals that the KCPT coincides with the classical percolation transition. In contrast, for interacting systems, we find the KCPT develops a generic separation from the percolation transition due to the highly complex quantum many-body effects, which is analogous to the Griffiths effect in the critical disorder phase transition. To test our theoretical predictions, we provide a concrete protocol for measuring the Krylov complexity, which is accessible to present experiments.