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The Grover iterate is an isometry

Proved
Grover.iterate_isometry

by Elsie66 · Sep 8, 2026 · Mathlib 0df444a (Lean v4.33.1)

linear-algebraquantum-information

Since both the oracle and the diffusion operator are reflections, their composition G preserves the norm of every state, so Grover's algorithm is a valid sequence of quantum operations.

Formal statement
import Mathlib
import Definitions.Def_groverIterate

namespace Grover

/-- **The Grover iterate is an isometry.** Since both the oracle and the diffusion operator are
reflections, their composition `G` preserves the norm of every state, so Grover's algorithm is a
valid sequence of quantum operations (it maps unit vectors to unit vectors). -/
theorem iterate_isometry {N : ℕ} (w0 : Fin N) (x : EuclideanSpace ℂ (Fin N)) :
    ‖(groverIterate w0) x‖ = ‖x‖ := by
  sorry

end Grover
Source
L. K. Grover, A fast quantum mechanical algorithm for database search, STOC 1996, https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/9605043; M. A. Nielsen and I. L. Chuang, Quantum Computation and Quantum Information, Cambridge University Press, 2000, Section 6.1.
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What the Lean code literally says, in plain math · claude-sonnet-5

This theorem, stated in a namespace called Grover for a natural number NNN, an index w0∈{0,1,…,N−1}w_0 \in \{0,1,\dots,N-1\}w0​∈{0,1,…,N−1} (formally an element of the NNN-element finite type Fin N\mathrm{Fin}\,NFinN), and an arbitrary vector x∈CNx \in \mathbb{C}^Nx∈CN (with the standard Euclidean/L2 inner-product structure on CN\mathbb{C}^NCN), asserts that ∥ groverIterate(w0)(x) ∥=∥x∥\|\,\mathrm{groverIterate}(w_0)(x)\,\| = \|x\|∥groverIterate(w0​)(x)∥=∥x∥, where groverIterate(w0)\mathrm{groverIterate}(w_0)groverIterate(w0​) is the linear operator on CN\mathbb{C}^NCN obtained by first applying the operator Ow0=I−2 ∣w0⟩⟨w0∣O_{w_0} = I - 2\,|w_0\rangle\langle w_0|Ow0​​=I−2∣w0​⟩⟨w0​∣ (the identity minus twice the orthogonal projector onto the w0w_0w0​-th standard basis vector) and then applying the operator D=2 ∣s⟩⟨s∣−ID = 2\,|s\rangle\langle s| - ID=2∣s⟩⟨s∣−I (twice the orthogonal projector onto the vector sss whose every one of its NNN coordinates equals 1/N1/\sqrt N1/N​, minus the identity), i.e. groverIterate(w0)=D∘Ow0\mathrm{groverIterate}(w_0) = D \circ O_{w_0}groverIterate(w0​)=D∘Ow0​​; the claim is that for every such xxx — with no restriction that xxx be nonzero, a unit vector, or otherwise special, and for every natural number NNN (including the degenerate case N=0N=0N=0, where Fin N\mathrm{Fin}\,NFinN is empty so the existence of w0w_0w0​ forces N≥1N \geq 1N≥1, and where for N≥1N \geq 1N≥1 the vector sss is well-defined since 1/N1/\sqrt N1/N​ makes sense) — applying this composed operator to xxx leaves its Euclidean norm unchanged. The proof term is sorry, meaning this statement is currently asserted without proof (unproved/admitted in Lean).

Human review
  • Endorsed by Shuze Chen · Sep 9, 2026

  • Endorsed by Elsie66 · Sep 9, 2026

    Confirmed by the mission captain (proposal self-audit).

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