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Geometric picture of Grover's algorithm

Proved
Grover.amplitude_rotation

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

linear-algebraquantum-information

Let theta = arcsin(1/sqrt N). Starting from the uniform superposition |s>, the amplitude on the marked basis state |w0> after k applications of the Grover iterate G is exactly sin((2k+1)*theta).

Formal statement
import Mathlib
import Definitions.Def_groverIterate

namespace Grover

/-- **The geometric picture of Grover's algorithm.** Let `θ = arcsin(1/√N)`. Starting from the
uniform superposition `|s⟩`, the amplitude on the marked basis state `|w0⟩` after `k` applications
of the Grover iterate `G` is exactly `sin((2k+1)θ)`: each iterate of `G` rotates the state by a
further angle `2θ` inside the two-dimensional real subspace spanned by `|w0⟩` and its orthogonal
complement within `span{|s⟩, |w0⟩}`. -/
theorem amplitude_rotation {N : ℕ} (w0 : Fin N) (k : ℕ) :
    inner (𝕜 := ℂ) (EuclideanSpace.single w0 (1 : ℂ))
      ((⇑(groverIterate w0))^[k] (uniformSuperposition N)) =
    (Real.sin ((2 * k + 1) * Real.arcsin (1 / Real.sqrt N)) : ℂ) := 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, named amplitude_rotation inside a Grover namespace, has three binders and no additional hypotheses: an implicit natural number NNN, an explicit index w0w_0w0​ ranging over the NNN-element finite type {0,…,N−1}\{0,\dots,N-1\}{0,…,N−1} (so implicitly N≥1N\ge 1N≥1 is required for w0w_0w0​ to exist at all — if N=0N=0N=0 this finite type is empty, and the universally-quantified claim is vacuously true for that instantiation of NNN), and an explicit natural number kkk (which may be 000). The body asserts a single equation of complex numbers. The left-hand side is the standard Hermitian inner product ⟨x,y⟩=∑ixi‾ yi\langle x,y\rangle=\sum_i \overline{x_i}\,y_i⟨x,y⟩=∑i​xi​​yi​ (conjugate-linear in the first slot, linear in the second) on CN\mathbb{C}^NCN, evaluated between the standard basis vector ew0e_{w_0}ew0​​ (the vector whose w0w_0w0​-th coordinate is 111 and all other N−1N-1N−1 coordinates are 000) and the vector obtained by applying, kkk times in succession, a named linear operator Gw0G_{w_0}Gw0​​ (called groverIterate w0, an operator on CN\mathbb{C}^NCN whose defining formula is not part of this statement) to the fixed vector uN∈CNu_N\in\mathbb{C}^NuN​∈CN all of whose NNN coordinates equal 1/N1/\sqrt{N}1/N​ (the "uniform superposition"); here "applying kkk times" is literal functional iteration, so k=0k=0k=0 means the identity map is used and Gw0G_{w_0}Gw0​​ is not applied at all. Because the first argument ew0e_{w_0}ew0​​ has a single nonzero (real) entry, this inner product is, by the stated definition, exactly the w0w_0w0​-th coordinate of Gw0 k(uN)G_{w_0}^{\,k}(u_N)Gw0​k​(uN​). The right-hand side is the real number sin⁡((2k+1)arcsin⁡(1/N))\sin\big((2k+1)\arcsin(1/\sqrt{N})\big)sin((2k+1)arcsin(1/N​)), formed with the standard real sine and the standard real arcsine (valued in [−π/2,π/2][-\pi/2,\pi/2][−π/2,π/2], genuinely inverse to sine only on inputs in [−1,1][-1,1][−1,1]), and then this real number is embedded into C\mathbb{C}C as a complex number with zero imaginary part. For every N≥1N\ge1N≥1 the quantity 1/N1/\sqrt{N}1/N​ lies in (0,1]⊆[−1,1](0,1]\subseteq[-1,1](0,1]⊆[−1,1], so the arcsine here is always evaluated within its genuine invertibility range and no clamping/junk-value behavior is triggered (the potential edge case N=0N=0N=0, where Lean's conventions would give 0=0\sqrt{0}=00​=0 and 1/0=01/0=01/0=0, does not need to be considered separately since, as noted, no w0w_0w0​ exists when N=0N=0N=0). The equality is claimed for all such NNN, w0w_0w0​, and kkk simultaneously, with the entire proof body consisting of sorry, meaning the statement is currently asserted without proof.

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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