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Grover's algorithm finds the marked item

Proved
Grover.search_succeeds

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

linear-algebraquantum-information

Starting from the uniform superposition over N basis states, some number of applications of the Grover iterate produces a state in which the probability of measuring the marked index w0 is at least 1 - 1/N.

Formal statement
import Mathlib
import Definitions.Def_groverIterate

namespace Grover

/-- **Grover's algorithm finds the marked item** (Goal). Starting from the uniform superposition
over `N` basis states, some number of applications of the Grover iterate produces a state in which
the probability of measuring the marked index `w0` is at least `1 - 1/N`. -/
theorem search_succeeds {N : ℕ} (w0 : Fin N) :
    ∃ k : ℕ, (1 : ℝ) - 1 / (N : ℝ) ≤
      ‖inner (𝕜 := ℂ) (EuclideanSpace.single w0 (1 : ℂ))
        ((⇑(groverIterate w0))^[k] (uniformSuperposition N))‖ ^ 2 := 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

For a natural number NNN and a chosen index w0w_0w0​ belonging to {0,1,…,N−1}\{0,1,\dots,N-1\}{0,1,…,N−1} (the type ascription w0 : Fin N forces N≥1N\ge 1N≥1, since a term of this type can only exist when the index set is nonempty; hence N=0N=0N=0 is not a reachable case here), the statement asserts the existence of at least one natural number kkk (with k=0k=0k=0 permitted, corresponding to applying the operator zero times) such that 1−1N≤∣⟨ew0, Gk(uN)⟩∣21-\dfrac{1}{N}\le \big|\langle e_{w_0},\, G^{k}(u_N)\rangle\big|^21−N1​≤​⟨ew0​​,Gk(uN​)⟩​2, where: ew0∈CNe_{w_0}\in\mathbb{C}^New0​​∈CN is the standard basis vector with a 111 in coordinate w0w_0w0​ and 000 elsewhere; uN∈CNu_N\in\mathbb{C}^NuN​∈CN is the vector all of whose NNN coordinates equal 1/N1/\sqrt N1/N​ (a well-defined nonzero vector since N≥1N\ge1N≥1 here); GGG denotes the fixed linear operator on CN\mathbb{C}^NCN named groverIterate w0 (its definition is not given in this excerpt); GkG^kGk denotes kkk-fold self-composition of GGG; ⟨⋅,⋅⟩\langle \cdot,\cdot\rangle⟨⋅,⋅⟩ is the complex inner product on CN\mathbb{C}^NCN that is conjugate-linear in its first slot and linear in its second (so ⟨ew0,v⟩\langle e_{w_0}, v\rangle⟨ew0​​,v⟩ picks out the w0w_0w0​-th coordinate of vvv); ∣⋅∣|\cdot|∣⋅∣ is the complex modulus, so ∣⟨ew0,Gk(uN)⟩∣2|\langle e_{w_0},G^k(u_N)\rangle|^2∣⟨ew0​​,Gk(uN​)⟩∣2 is a nonnegative real number, specifically the squared modulus of the w0w_0w0​-th coordinate of Gk(uN)G^k(u_N)Gk(uN​); and the right-hand bound 1−1/N1-1/N1−1/N is a real number in [0,1)[0,1)[0,1) for N≥1N\ge1N≥1. The claim is purely existential — it asserts that some such kkk makes the displayed inequality hold, not that it holds for all kkk, not a rate of convergence, and not an exact value or limit; no upper bound on kkk is given, and no other property of kkk is asserted. As written, the proof of this theorem is left as sorry, so the statement is currently unproved (an admitted axiom, not a verified fact) in this file.

Human review
  • Flagged by Shuze Chen · Sep 8, 2026

    Good job on this one! One request before it goes public. The goal search_succeeds only says that some number of iterations succeeds, with no bound on k. The point of Grover's algorithm is that about (π/4)√N iterations are enough, and that bound follows in one line from your amplitude_rotation milestone. Could you write it out explicitly, for example

    ∃ k, k ≤ ⌈π / (4 · Real.arcsin (1 / √N))⌉ ∧ 1 - 1/N ≤ ‖⟪w0, G^[k] s⟫‖²

    upload it as a new goal row, point main_item_id at it, and keep the current search_succeeds as a milestone? Then the mission's headline matches its name.

  • 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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