This work describes a new algorithm for creating a superposition over the edge set of a graph, encoding a quantum sample of the random walk stationary distribution. The algorithm requires a number of quantum walk steps scaling as $widetilde{O}(m^{1/3} delta^{-1/3})$, with $m$ the number of edges and $delta$ the random walk spectral gap. This improves on existing strategies by initially growing a classical seed set in the graph, from which a quantum walk is then run. The algorithm leads to a number of improvements: (i) it provides a new bound on the setup cost of quantum walk search algorithms, (ii) it yields a new algorithm for $st$-connectivity, and (iii) it allows to create a superposition over the isomorphisms of an $n$-node graph in time $widetilde{O}(2^{n/3})$, surpassing the $Omega(2^{n/2})$ barrier set by index erasure.
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