Time complexity of a monitored quantum search with resetting

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Authors: Emma C. King, Sayan Roy, Francesco Mattiotti, Maximilian Kiefer-Emmanouilidis, Markus Bläser, Giovanna Morigi
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Abstract

Searching a database is a central task in computer science and is paradigmatic of transport and optimization problems in physics. For an unstructured search, Grover's algorithm predicts a quadratic speedup, with the search time $τ(N)=Θ(\sqrt{N})$ and $N$ the database size. Numerical studies suggest that the time complexity can change in the presence of feedback, injecting information during the search. Here, we determine the time complexity of the quantum analog of a randomized algorithm, which implements feedback in a simple form. The search is a continuous-time quantum walk on a complete graph, where the target is continuously monitored by a detector. Additionally, the quantum state is reset if the detector does not click within a specified time interval. This yields a non-unitary, non-Markovian dynamics. We optimize the search time as a function of the hopping amplitude, detection rate, and resetting rate, and identify the conditions under which time complexity could outperform Grover's scaling. The overall search time does not violate Grover's optimality bound when including the time budget of the physical implementation of the measurement. For databases of finite sizes monitoring can warrant rapid convergence and provides a promising avenue for fault-tolerant quantum searches.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Quantum Computing Algorithms and Architecture Quantum Mechanics and Applications Quantum Information and Cryptography

Publication details

Journal / source
arXiv (Cornell University)
Publication date
28 January 2026
Document type
Preprint