SPARTA: $\chi^2$-calibrated, risk-controlled exploration-exploitation for variational quantum algorithms

TL;DR

SPARTA is a novel, statistically rigorous optimization algorithm for variational quantum algorithms that effectively navigates barren plateaus by adaptively balancing exploration and exploitation with risk control.

Contribution

It introduces the first measurement-efficient, risk-controlled scheduler with finite-sample guarantees for escaping barren plateaus in quantum optimization.

Findings

Provides geometric bounds on plateau exit times

Achieves linear convergence in informative regions

Enhances test power using Lie-algebraic variance proxies

Abstract

Variational quantum algorithms face a fundamental trainability crisis: barren plateaus render optimization exponentially difficult as system size grows. While recent Lie algebraic theory precisely characterizes when and why these plateaus occur, no practical optimization method exists with finite-sample guarantees for navigating them. We present the sequential plateau-adaptive regime-testing algorithm (SPARTA), the first measurement-frugal scheduler that provides explicit, anytime-valid risk control for quantum optimization. Our approach integrates three components with rigorous statistical foundations: (i) a $\chi^2$-calibrated sequential test that distinguishes barren plateaus from informative regions using likelihood-ratio supermartingales; (ii) a probabilistic trust-region exploration strategy with one-sided acceptance to prevent false improvements under shot noise; and (iii) a theoretically-optimal exploitation phase that achieves the best attainable convergence rate. We prove geometric bounds on plateau exit times, linear convergence in informative basins, and show how Lie-algebraic variance proxies enhance test power without compromising statistical calibration.