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Exploring Network-Related Optimization Problems Using Quantum Heuristics

Network-related connectivity optimization problems are underlying a wide range of applications and are also of high computational complexity. We consider studying network optimization problems using two types of quantum heuristics.One is quantum annealing, and the other Quantum Alternating Operator Ansatz, an extension of the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithms for gate-model quantum computation, in which a cost-function based unitary and a non-commuting mixing unitary are applied alternately. We present problem mappings for problems of finding the spanning-tree or spanning-graph of a graph that optimizes certain costs, and a variant that further requires the spanning-tree be degree-bounded. With quantum annealing, all constraints are cast into penalty terms in the cost Hamiltonian, and the solution is encoded as the ground state of the Hamiltonian. We provide three mappings to the quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) form, compare the resource requirements, and analyze the tradeoffs. For QAOA, we give special focus on the design of mixers based on the constraints presented in the problem, such that the system evolution remains in a subspace of the full Hilbert space where all constraints are satisfied. In the spanning-tree problem, one such hard constraint is that a mixer applied to a spanning-tree needs also be a spanning tree. This involves checking the connectivity of a subgraph, which is a global condition common for most network-related problems. We show how this feature can be efficiently represented in the mixer in a quantum coherent way, based on manipulation of a descendant-matrix and an adjacent matrix. We further develop a mixer for the spanning-graphs based on the spanning-tree mixer.

Wang, Zhihui↗

Study network-related optimization problems using quantum alternating optimization ansatz

Network-related connectivity optimization problems are underlying a wide range of applications and are also of high computational complexity. We consider studying network optimization problems using two types of quantum heuristics. One is quantum annealing, and the other Quantum Alternating Operator Ansatz, an extension of the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithms for gate-model quantum computation, in which a cost-function based unitary and a non-commuting mixing unitary are applied alternately. We present problem mappings for problems of finding the spanning-tree or spanning-graph of a graph that optimizes certain costs, and a variant that further requires the spanning-tree be degree-bounded. With quantum annealing, all constraints are cast into penalty terms in the cost Hamiltonian, and the solution is encoded as the ground state of the Hamiltonian. We provide three mappings to the quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) form, compare the resource requirements, and analyze the tradeoffs. For QAOA, we give special focus on the design of mixers based on the constraints presented in the problem, such that the system evolution remains in a subspace of the full Hilbert space where all constraints are satisfied. In the spanning-tree problem, one such hard constraint is that a mixer applied to a spanning-tree needs also be a spanning tree. This involves checking the connectivity of a subgraph, which is a global condition common for most network-related problems. We show how this feature can be efficiently represented in the mixer in a quantum coherent way, based on manipulation of a descendant-matrix and an adjacent matrix. We further develop a mixer for the spanning-graphs based on the spanning-tree mixer.

Zhihui Wang↗

QSPIN: A High Level Java API for Quantum Computing Experimentation

QSPIN is a high level Java language API for experimentation in QC models used in the calculation of Ising spin glass ground states and related quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) problems. The Java API is intended to facilitate research in advanced QC algorithms such as hybrid quantum-classical solvers, automatic selection of constraint and optimization parameters, and techniques for the correction and mitigation of model and solution errors. QSPIN includes high level solver objects tailored to the D-Wave quantum annealing architecture that implement hybrid quantum-classical algorithms [Booth et al.] for solving large problems on small quantum devices, elimination of variables via roof duality, and classical computing optimization methods such as GPU accelerated simulated annealing and tabu search for comparison. A test suite of documented NP-complete applications ranging from graph coloring, covering, and partitioning to integer programming and scheduling are provided to demonstrate current capabilities.

Quantu↗

Quantum Adiabatic Optimization and Combinatorial Landscapes

In this paper we analyze the performance of the Quantum Adiabatic Evolution (QAE) algorithm on a variant of Satisfiability problem for an ensemble of random graphs parametrized by the ratio of clauses to variables, gamma = M / N. We introduce a set of macroscopic parameters (landscapes) and put forward an ansatz of universality for random bit flips. We then formulate the problem of finding the smallest eigenvalue and the excitation gap as a statistical mechanics problem. We use the so-called annealing approximation with a refinement that a finite set of macroscopic variables (verses only energy) is used, and are able to show the existence of a dynamic threshold gamma = gammad, beyond which QAE should take an exponentially long time to find a solution. We compare the results for extended and simplified sets of landscapes and provide numerical evidence in support of our universality ansatz.

Smelyanskiy, V. N.↗

XY vs X Mixer in Quantum Alternating Operator Ansatz for Optimization Problems with Constraints

Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm, further generalized as Quantum Alternating Operator Ansatz (QAOA), is a family of algorithms for combinatorial optimization problems. It is a leading candidate to run on emerging universal quantum computers to gain insight into quantum heuristics. In constrained optimization, penalties are often introduced so that the ground state of the cost Hamiltonian encodes the solution (a standard practice in quantum annealing). An alternative is to choose a mixing Hamiltonian such that the constraint corresponds to a constant of motion and the quantum evolution stays in the feasible subspace. Better performance of the algorithm is speculated due to a much smaller search space. We consider problems with a constant Hamming weight as the constraint. We also compare different methods of generating the generalized W-state, which serves as a natural initial state for the Hamming-weight constraint. Using graph-coloring as an example, we compare the performance of using XY model as a mixer that preserves the Hamming weight with the performance of adding a penalty term in the cost Hamiltonian.

quantum computing↗