Escaping Local Minima with Quantum Coherent Cooling

TL;DR

This paper introduces a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm leveraging quantum coherent cooling to escape local minima in optimization problems, showing potential quantum advantage in solving complex spin glass problems.

Contribution

It proposes a novel hybrid algorithm that uses quantum coherent cooling to overcome local minima, integrating quantum and classical methods for global optimization.

Findings

Numerical evidence shows quantum advantage in spin glass problems.

The scheme can be implemented in circuit QED systems.

Quantum coherent cooling facilitates tunneling through energy barriers.

Abstract

Quantum cooling has demonstrated its potential in quantum computing, which can reduce the number of control channels needed for external signals. Recent progress also supports the possibility of maintaining quantum coherence in large-scale systems. The limitations of classical algorithms trapped in local minima of cost functions could be overcome using this scheme. According to this, we propose a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm for finding the global minima. Our approach utilizes quantum coherent cooling to facilitate coordinative tunneling through energy barriers if the classical algorithm gets stuck. The encoded Hamiltonian system represents the cost function, and a quantum coherent bath in the ground state serves as a heat sink to absorb energy from the system. Our proposed scheme can be implemented in the circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) system using a quantum cavity. The provided numerical evidence demonstrates the quantum advantage in solving spin glass problems.