Meanings
- not comparablemathematicsOf a Hermitian matrix, having real non-positive off-diagonal elements. These matrices have elements of quantum mechanics and classical theory of stochastic matrices. For non-technical purposes ‘stoquastic’ is equivalent to “avoiding the sign problem”.
As stoquastic problems we use frustrated Ising Hamiltonians, having random local X and Z fields, and random σ_zσ_z couplings.
2016, R. Barends et al., “Digitized adiabatic quantum computing with a superconducting circuit”, in Nature, 534, 222-226, 9 June 20162 more examples
Stoquastic Hamiltonians, those for which all off-diagonal matrix elements in the standard basis are real and non-positive, are common in the physical world.
2015, Ian Kivlichan, “On the complexity of stoquastic Hamiltonians,” publication not named (termpaper?), 11 December 2015We contrast this with the case of sampling from the output of a quantum computer running the Quantum Adiabatic Algorithm (QADI) with the restriction that the Hamiltonian that governs the evolution is gapped and stoquastic.
2016, Edward Farhi, Aram W Harrow, “Quantum Supremacy through the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm”, in arXiv
Origin
Blend of stochastic + quantum.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with stoquastic
Cite this entry
stoquastic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stoquastic
“stoquastic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stoquastic. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stoquastic,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stoquastic.
Source: stoquastic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.