Speedup in Quantum Adiabatic Evolution Algorithm

Quantum adiabatic evolution algorithm suggested by Farhi et al. was effective in solving instances of NP-complete problems. The algorithm is governed by the adiabatic theorem. Therefore, in order to reduce the running time, it is essential to examine the minimum energy gap between the ground level and the next one through the evolution. In this letter, we show a way of speedup in quantum adiabatic evolution algorithm, using the extended Hamiltonian. We present the exact relation between the energy gap and the elements of the extended Hamiltonian, which provides the new point of view to reduce the running time.