Quantum-inspired clustering with light

TL;DR

This paper presents a photonic implementation of a quantum-inspired clustering algorithm using laser beams and polarization states, demonstrating an efficient way to simulate quantum algorithms for data clustering.

Contribution

It introduces a novel photonic approach to simulate a single qubit quantum algorithm for clustering, utilizing non-orthogonal polarization states inspired by variational quantum eigensolvers.

Findings

Effective clustering of diverse datasets using photonic qubits.

Utilization of non-orthogonal polarization states to simulate quantum circuits.

Potential for scalable quantum-inspired data processing with light.

Abstract

This article introduces a novel approach to perform the simulation of a single qubit quantum algorithm using laser beams. Leveraging the polarization states of photonic qubits, and inspired by variational quantum eigensolvers, we develop a variational quantum algorithm implementing a clustering procedure following the approach proposed by some of us in SciRep 13, 13284 (2023). A key aspect of our research involves the utilization of non-orthogonal states within the photonic domain, harnessing the potential of polarization schemes to reproduce unitary circuits. By mapping these non-orthogonal states into polarization states, we achieve an efficient and versatile quantum information processing unit which serves as a clustering device for a diverse set of datasets.