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arXiv:0705.2531 · Journal of Physics A Mathematical and Theoretical

A classical approach to the graph isomorphism problem using quantum walks

Brendan L Douglas, Jingbo B Wang

Published Feb 5, 2008• 126 citations
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Abstract

Given the extensive application of classical random walks to classical algorithms in a variety of fields, their quantum analogue in quantum walks is expected to provide a fruitful source of quantum algorithms. So far, however, such algorithms have been scarce. In this work, we enumerate some important differences between quantum and classical walks, leading to their markedly different properties. We show that for many practical purposes, the implementation of quantum walks can be efficiently achieved using a classical computer. We then develop both classical and quantum graph isomorphism algorithms based on discrete-time quantum walks. We show that they are effective in identifying isomorphism classes of large databases of graphs, in particular groups of strongly regular graphs. We consider this approach to represent a promising candidate for an efficient solution to the graph isomorphism problem, and believe that similar methods employing quantum walks, or derivatives of these walks, may prove beneficial in constructing other algorithms for a variety of purposes.

DOI
10.1088/1751-8113/41/7/075303

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Given the extensive application of classical random walks to classical algorithms in a variety of fields, their quantum analogue in quantum walks is expected to provide a fruitful source of quantum algorithms. So far, however, such algorithms have been scarce. In this work, we enumerate some important differences between quantum and classical walks, leading to their markedly different properties. We show that for many practical purposes, the implementation of quantum walks can be efficiently achieved using a classical computer. We then develop both classical and quantum graph isomorphism algorithms based on discrete-time quantum walks. We show that they are effective in identifying isomorphism classes of large databases of graphs, in particular groups of strongly regular graphs. We consider this approach to represent a promising candidate for an efficient solution to the graph isomorphism problem, and believe that similar methods employing quantum walks, or derivatives of these walks, may prove beneficial in constructing other algorithms for a variety of purposes.
Studies on graph isomorphism play an important role in graph research, and graph isomorphism algorithms have a wide range of applications in image matching, pattern recognition, computer vision, biochemistry and other fields. Previous research demonstrated that involving discrete-time quantum walk in the graph isomorphism algorithm could achieve complexity O ( N 7 ) for general graphs, since quantum walk could be utilized as a new toolbox for solving graph problems. We develop an enhanced classical approach to graph isomorphism using continuous-time quantum walk, which has lower complexity O ( N 5 ) and can effectively distinguish the graphs that are generally considered difficult. In addition, we define a graph similarity measure based on the proposed algorithm, which can be used for graph isomorphism and graph clustering. In the experiment, we test a wide variety of classes of graphs; the results show that the algorithm has a wide range of applications rather than being limited to a specific type of graph.
Graph isomorphism is an essential problem in graph theory and widely used in a variety of applications. With graph size increasing, graph isomorphism become difficult for classical computation since there is no polynomial algorithm for general graphs yet. Considering the advantages of quantum computation over classical computation in various tasks, quantum graph isomorphism algorithms have been studied to explore the potentials of quantum computation in graph isomorphism. In this work, we propose a graph isomorphism algorithm based on continuous-time quantum walks, where we construct the graph certificates from the output probabilities of continuous-time quantum walks on the tested graphs with added self-loops to graph vertices, and distinguish graphs by comparing the graph certificates. Numerous tests on diverse graph classes demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed GI algorithm, which is not limited to a specific topological structure graph. Moreover, we test the proposed algorithm on classes of strongly regular graphs, and the results show that the distinguishing ability of the algorithm can be improved with the increasement of the added self-loops to distinct vertices.
[Truncated abstract] This thesis is split into three parts, each addressing the overarching theme of applying graph theoretic techniques to classi cation and search problems. Part I explores this theme in the context of quantum algorithms, in particular involving quantum walks, coined by Aharonov et al. in 1993 [1]. As a quantum analogue to classical random walks, quantum walks represent a promising candidate for quantum algorithms providing speed-ups over known classical methods. I will discuss two categories of quantum walk algorithms; quantum search and graph isomorphism. In particular, the e ciency of quantum walk based search algorithms on various families of graphs will be investigated, linking both e ciency of quantum circuit implementation and the complexity of the search problem to the symmetry of the underlying graphs. Several families of graphs are presented that are amenable to efficient quantum walk based searching, together with explicit quantum circuit implementations. In the case of the n-cube, I show that O(p2n) steps of a quanum walk are suffcient to nd a marked sub-d-cube (where d
Berry and Wang [Phys. Rev. A {\bf 83}, 042317 (2011)] show numerically that a discrete-time quantum random walk of two noninteracting particles is able to distinguish some non-isomorphic strongly regular graphs from the same family. Here we analytically demonstrate how it is possible for these walks to distinguish such graphs, while continuous-time quantum walks of two noninteracting particles cannot. We show analytically and numerically that even single-particle discrete-time quantum random walks can distinguish some strongly regular graphs, though not as many as two-particle noninteracting discrete-time walks. Additionally, we demonstrate how, given the same quantum random walk, subtle differences in the graph certificate construction algorithm can nontrivially impact the walk's distinguishing power. We also show that no continuous-time walk of a fixed number of particles can distinguish all strongly regular graphs when used in conjunction with any of the graph certificates we consider. We extend this constraint to discrete-time walks of fixed numbers of noninteracting particles for one kind of graph certificate; it remains an open question as to whether or not this constraint applies to the other graph certificates we consider.
Discrete quantum walks are quantum analogues of classical random walks. They are an important tool in quantum computing and a number of algorithms can be viewed as discrete quantum walks, in particular Grover's search algorithm. These walks are constructed on an underlying graph, and so there is a relation between properties of walks and properties of the graph. This book studies the mathematical problems that arise from this connection, and the different classes of walks that arise. Written at a level suitable for graduate students in mathematics, the only prerequisites are linear algebra and basic graph theory; no prior knowledge of physics is required. The text serves as an introduction to this important and rapidly developing area for mathematicians and as a detailed reference for computer scientists and physicists working on quantum information theory.
The isomorphism problem involves judging whether two graphs are topologically the same and producing structure-preserving isomorphism mapping. It is widely used in various areas. Diverse algorithms have been proposed to solve this problem in polynomial time, with the help of quantum walks. Some of these algorithms, however, fail to find the isomorphism mapping. Moreover, most algorithms have very limited performance on regular graphs which are generally difficult to deal with due to their symmetry. We propose IsoMarking to discover an isomorphism mapping effectively, based on the quantum walk which is sensitive to topological structures. Firstly, IsoMarking marks vertices so that it can reduce the harmful influence of symmetry. Secondly, IsoMarking can ascertain whether the current candidate bijection is consistent with existing bijections and eventually obtains qualified mapping. Thirdly, our experiments on 1585 pairs of graphs demonstrate that our algorithm performs significantly better on both ordinary graphs and regular graphs.