Strength and Weakness in Grover's Quantum Search Algorithm

Abstract

Grover's quantum search algorithm is considered as one of the milestone in the field of quantum computing. The algorithm can search for a single match in a database with $N$ records in $O(\sqrt{N})$ assuming that the item must exist in the database with quadratic speedup over the best known classical algorithm. This review paper discusses the performance of Grover's algorithm in case of multiple matches where the problem is expected to be easier. Unfortunately, we will find that the algorithm will fail for $M>3N/4$, where $M$ is the number of matches in the list.