Spectral signatures of nonstabilizerness and criticality in infinite matrix product states
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Abstract
While nonstabilizerness (''magic'') is a key resource for universal quantum computation, its behavior in many-body quantum systems, especially near criticality, remains poorly understood. We develop a spectral transfer-matrix framework for the stabilizer Rényi entropy (SRE) in infinite matrix product states, showing that its spectrum contains universal subleading information. In particular, we identify an SRE correlation length -- distinct from the standard correlation length -- which diverges at continuous phase transitions and governs the spatial response of the SRE to local perturbations. We derive exact SRE expressions for the bond dimension $χ=2$ MPS ''skeleton'' of the cluster-Ising model, and we numerically probe its universal scaling along the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ critical lines in the phase diagram. These results demonstrate that nonstabilizerness captures signatures of criticality and local perturbations, providing a new lens on the interplay between computational resources and emergent phenomena in quantum many-body systems.