Eigenlevel statistics of the quantum adiabatic algorithm

Abstract

We study the eigenlevel spectrum of quantum adiabatic algorithm for 3-satisfiability problem, focusing on single-solution instances. The properties of the ground state and the associated gap, crucial for determining the running time of the algorithm, are found to be far from the predictions of random matrix theory. The distribution of gaps between the ground and the first excited state shows an abundance of small gaps. Eigenstates from the central part of the spectrum are, on the other hand, well described by random matrix theory.