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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Magic transfer in quantum spin chains

Antonio Palamara1,2,*, Chad Nelmes3,4,*, Enrico C. Domanti5, and Francesco Perciavalle1,2,†

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: fraperciavalle97@gmail.com
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APS Open Sci. 1, L000204 – Published 5 November, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/mq4t-pnby

Abstract

Quantum communication protocols based on spin chains have been extensively studied, yet their ability to transmit nonstabilizer resources has not been systematically addressed. We investigate the transport of quantum magic in spin chains through the natural dynamics of systems initialized in nonstabilizer states, and quantify the transported resource via the stabilizer norm. We analyze three experimentally feasible state-transfer protocols, ranging from noisy to (quasi)perfect transfer, including one realizable in trapped-ion platforms. We find that the geometry of the injected state strongly influences transport: States in the lower Bloch hemisphere achieve higher transfer quality, whereas states in the upper hemisphere give rise to an efficient magic transport only beyond a threshold value of the parameter controlling the tendency toward perfect transfer. These features are robust across all protocols and identify the Hamiltonian and state properties that favor high-quality transfer. Moreover, we identify a parameter region, relevant to the initial state preparation, in which the transported magic exceeds the initial encoding, indicating that such spin systems can act as magic-amplification channels. Our results establish the conditions for efficient transport of nonstabilizer resources and demonstrate quantum magic as a sensitive probe of quantum transport beyond population dynamics.

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Outline

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APS Open Sci. 1, L000204– Published 5 November, 2026
Vol. 1
  • Received 19 June 2026
  • Revised 13 September 2026
  • Accepted 27 October 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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