We use quantum walks to construct a new quantum algorithm for element distinctness and its generalization. For element distinctness (the problem of finding two equal items among N given items), we get an O(N 2/3) query quantum algorithm. This improves the previous O(N 3/4) quantum algorithm of Buhrman et al. [11] and matches the lower bound by [1]. We also give an O(N k/(k+1) ) query quantum algorithm for the generalization of element distinctness in which we have to find k equal items among N items. 1

We present several applications of quantum amplitude amplification to finding claws and collisions in ordered or unordered functions. Our algorithms generalize those of Brassard, Høyer, and Tapp, and imply an O(N 3/4 log N) quantum upper bound for the element distinctness problem in the comparison complexity model. This contrasts with Θ(N log N) classical complexity. We also prove a lower bound of Ω ( √ N) comparisons for this problem and derive bounds for a number of related problems. 1

The degree of a polynomial representing (or approximating) a function f is a lower bound for the quantum query complexity of f. This observation has been a source of many lower bounds on quantum algorithms. It has been an open problem whether this lower bound is tight. We exhibit a function with polynomial degree M and quantum query complexity Ω(M 1.321...). This is the first superlinear separation between polynomial degree and quantum query complexity. The lower bound is shown by a new, more general version of quantum adversary method. 1

Although a quantum state requires exponentially many classical bits to describe, the laws of quantum mechanics impose severe restrictions on how that state can be accessed. This paper shows in three settings that quantum messages have only limited advantages over classical ones.

The design of new quantum algorithms has proven to be an extremely difficult task. This paper considers a different approach to the problem. We systematically study ’quantum state generation’, namely, which superpositions can be efficiently generated. We first show that all problems in Statistical Zero Knowledge (SZK), a class which contains many languages that are natural candidates for BQP, can be reduced to an instance of quantum state generation. This was known before for graph isomorphism, but we give a general recipe for all problems in SZK. We demonstrate the reduction from the problem to its quantum state generation version for three examples: Discrete log, quadratic residuosity and a gap version of closest vector in a lattice. We then develop tools for quantum state generation. For this task, we define the framework of ’adiabatic quantum state generation ’ which uses the language of ground states, spectral gaps and Hamiltonians instead of the standard unitary gate language. This language stems from the recently suggested adiabatic computation model [20] and seems to be especially tailored for the task of quantum state generation. After defining the paradigm, we provide two basic lemmas for adiabatic quantum state generation: • The Sparse Hamiltonian lemma, which gives a general technique for implementing sparse Hamiltonians efficiently, and, • The jagged adiabatic path lemma, which gives conditions for a sequence of Hamiltonians to allow efficient adiabatic state generation. We use our tools to prove that any quantum state which can be generated efficiently in the standard model can also be generated efficiently adiabatically, and vice versa. Finally we show how to apply our techniques to generate superpositions corresponding to limiting distributions of a large class of Markov chains, including the uniform distribution over all perfect

The problem of finding a local minimum of a black-box function is central for understanding local search as well as quantum adiabatic algorithms. For functions on the Boolean hypercube {0,1} n (, we show a lower bound of Ω 2 n/4) /n on the number of queries needed by a quantum computer to solve this problem. More surprisingly, our approach, based on Ambainis’s quantum ( adversary method, also yields a lower bound of Ω 2 n/2 /n 2 on the problem’s classical randomized query complexity. This improves and simplifies a 1983 result of Aldous. Finally, in both the randomized and quantum cases, we give the first nontrivial lower bounds for finding local minima on grids of constant dimension d ≥ 3. 1.

The quantum adversary method is one of the most versatile lower-bound methods for quantum algorithms. We show that all known variants of this method are equivalent: spectral adversary (Barnum, Saks, and Szegedy, 2003), weighted adversary (Ambainis, 2003), strong weighted adversary (Zhang, 2005), and the Kolmogorov complexity adversary (Laplante and Magniez, 2004). We also present a few new equivalent formulations of the method. This shows that there is essentially one quantum adversary method. From our approach, all known limitations of these versions of the quantum adversary method easily follow.

Abstract. We consider the problem of testing the commutativity of a black-box group specified by its k generators. The complexity (in terms of k) of this problem was first considered by Pak, who gave a randomized algorithm involving O(k) group operations. We construct a quite optimal quantum algorithm for this problem whose complexity is in Õ(k2/3). The algorithm uses and highlights the power of the quantization method of Szegedy. For the lower bound of Ω(k 2/3), we introduce a new technique of reduction for quantum query complexity. Along the way, we prove the optimality of the algorithm of Pak for the randomized model. 1

Can NP-complete problems be solved efficiently in the physical universe? I survey proposals including soap bubbles, protein folding, quantum computing, quantum advice, quantum adiabatic algorithms, quantum-mechanical nonlinearities, hidden variables, relativistic time dilation, analog computing, Malament-Hogarth spacetimes, quantum gravity, closed timelike curves, and “anthropic computing. ” The section on soap bubbles even includes some “experimental ” results. While I do not believe that any of the proposals will let us solve NP-complete problems efficiently, I argue that by studying them, we can learn something not only about computation but also about physics. 1

We extend Shi’s 2002 quantum lower bound for collision in r-to-one functions with n inputs. Shi’s bound of Ω((n/r) 1/3) is tight, but his proof applies only in the case where the range has size at least 3n/2. We give a modified version of Shi’s argument which removes this restriction. 1