The Lackadaisical Quantum Walker is NOT Lazy at all

Abstract

In this paper, we study the properties of lackadaisical quantum walks on a line. This model is first proposed in~\cite{wong2015grover} as a quantum analogue of lazy random walks where each vertex is attached $\tau$ self-loops. We derive an analytic expression for the localization probability of the walker at the origin after infinite steps, and obtain the peak velocities of the walker. We also calculate rigorously the wave function of the walker starting from the origin and obtain a long time approximation for the entire probability density function. As an application of the density function, we prove that lackadaisical quantum walks spread ballistically for arbitrary $\tau$, and give an analytic solution for the variance of the walker's probability distribution.