Solving Nonnative Combinatorial Optimization Problems Using Hybrid Quantum–Classical Algorithms
Combinatorial optimization is a challenging problem applicable in a wide range of fields from logistics to finance. Recently, quantum computing has been used to attempt to solve these problems using a range of algorithms, including parameterized quantum circuits, adiabatic protocols, and quantum ann...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IEEE
2024-01-01
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| Series: | IEEE Transactions on Quantum Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10636813/ |
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| Summary: | Combinatorial optimization is a challenging problem applicable in a wide range of fields from logistics to finance. Recently, quantum computing has been used to attempt to solve these problems using a range of algorithms, including parameterized quantum circuits, adiabatic protocols, and quantum annealing. These solutions typically have several challenges: 1) there is little to no performance gain over classical methods; 2) not all constraints and objectives may be efficiently encoded in the quantum ansatz; and 3) the solution domain of the objective function may not be the same as the bit strings of measurement outcomes. This work presents “nonnative hybrid algorithms”: a framework to overcome these challenges by integrating quantum and classical resources with a hybrid approach. By designing nonnative quantum variational anosatzes that inherit some but not all problem structure, measurement outcomes from the quantum computer can act as a resource to be used by classical routines to indirectly compute optimal solutions, partially overcoming the challenges of contemporary quantum optimization approaches. These methods are demonstrated using a publicly available neutral-atom quantum computer on two simple problems of Max <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k$</tex-math></inline-formula>-Cut and maximum independent set. We find improvements in solution quality when comparing the hybrid algorithm to its “no quantum” version, a demonstration of a “comparative advantage.” |
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| ISSN: | 2689-1808 |