PDE and mathematical physics · Oct 6, 2026

Optimal logarithmic mixing of the Thorp shuffle

Proves that the Thorp shuffle randomizes N=2dN=2^d labeled cards in Θ(log⁡N)\Theta(\log N) physical shuffles, settling its optimal mixing order for power-of-two deck sizes. Convergence is in total variation from the worst initial ordering and concerns the entire permutation, not just individual card positions.

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