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arXiv:2006.01013

More Practical and Adaptive Algorithms for Online Quantum State Learning

Yifang Chen, Xin Wang

Published Jun 1, 2020• 4 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Online quantum state learning is a recently proposed problem by Aaronson et al. (2018), where the learner sequentially predicts $n$-qubit quantum states based on given measurements on states and noisy outcomes. In the previous work, the algorithms are worst-case optimal in general but fail in achieving tighter bounds in certain simpler or more practical cases. In this paper, we develop algorithms to advance the online learning of quantum states. First, we show that Regularized Follow-the-Leader (RFTL) method with Tallis-2 entropy can achieve an $O(\sqrt{MT})$ total loss with perfect hindsight on the first $T$ measurements with maximum rank $M$. This regret bound depends only on the maximum rank $M$ of measurements rather than the number of qubits, which takes advantage of low-rank measurements. Second, we propose a parameter-free algorithm based on a classical adjusting learning rate schedule that can achieve a regret depending on the loss of best states in hindsight, which takes advantage of low noisy outcomes. Besides these more adaptive bounds, we also show that our RFTL with Tallis-2 entropy algorithm can be implemented efficiently on near-term quantum computing devices, which is not achievable in previous works.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2006.01013

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Online quantum state learning is a recently proposed problem by Aaronson et al. (2018), where the learner sequentially predicts nnn-qubit quantum states based on given measurements on states and noisy outcomes. In the previous work, the algorithms are worst-case optimal in general but fail in achieving tighter bounds in certain simpler or more practical cases. In this paper, we develop algorithms to advance the online learning of quantum states. First, we show that Regularized Follow-the-Leader (RFTL) method with Tallis-2 entropy can achieve an O(MT)O(\sqrt{MT})O(MT​) total loss with perfect hindsight on the first TTT measurements with maximum rank MMM. This regret bound depends only on the maximum rank MMM of measurements rather than the number of qubits, which takes advantage of low-rank measurements. Second, we propose a parameter-free algorithm based on a classical adjusting learning rate schedule that can achieve a regret depending on the loss of best states in hindsight, which takes advantage of low noisy outcomes. Besides these more adaptive bounds, we also show that our RFTL with Tallis-2 entropy algorithm can be implemented efficiently on near-term quantum computing devices, which is not achievable in previous works.
In this paper, we study the online quantum state learning problem which is recently proposed by Aaronson et al. (2018). In this problem, the learning algorithm sequentially predicts quantum states based on observed measurements and losses and the goal is to minimize the regret. In the previous work, the existing algorithms may output mixed quantum states. However, in many scenarios, the prediction of a pure quantum state is required. In this paper, we first propose a Follow-the-Perturbed-Leader (FTPL) algorithm that can guarantee to predict pure quantum states. Theoretical analysis shows that our algorithm can achieve an O(√T) expected regret under some reasonable settings. In the case that the pure state prediction is not mandatory, we propose another deterministic learning algorithm which is simpler and more efficient. The algorithm is based on the online gradient descent (OGD) method and can also achieve an O(√T) regret bound. The main technical contribution of this result is an algorithm of projecting an arbitrary Hermitian matrix onto the set of density matrices with respect to the Frobenius norm. We think this subroutine is of independent interest and can be widely used in many other problems in the quantum computing area. In addition to the theoretical analysis, we evaluate the algorithms with a series of simulation experiments. The experimental results show that our FTPL method and OGD method outperform the existing RFTL approach proposed by Aaronson et al. (2018) in almost all settings. In the implementation of the RFTL approach, we give a closed-form solution to the algorithm. This provides an efficient, accurate, and completely executable solution to the RFTL method.
We study the problem of online learning of quantum states with logarithmic loss, which is a quantum generalization of online portfolio selection and has applications to quantum state tomography, the task of estimating an unknown quantum state from measurement outcomes. We first establish a regret lower bound, showing that the regret rates of Exponential Weights and the algorithm of Tseng et al. (2025) have optimal polynomial dependence on the dimension. Our analysis leads to two further results. First, our lower-bound proof leads to a quantum state tomography algorithm that is sample optimal up to polylogarithmic factors in the sample size. Second, we develop an algorithm for constructing confidence sequences for the mean of a matrix-valued random variable. A numerical experiment shows that the latter algorithm is competitive with existing methods.
The purpose of this research work is to learn the quantum states in an ideal environments analytically, computationally, and graphically. The analysis starts with the learning of quantum states in identity channels with the help of the Regularized Follow the Leader (RFTL) algorithm. Our machine will try to learn the states based on the previous information, which is called the online learning model. The objective of this problem is to minimize regret by utilizing a learning algorithm that successively anticipates quantum states through observed measurements and losses. We have to produce many copies of quantum state ρ to perform analysis on them, which indicates the use of the shadow tomography approach in an ideal situation. Our goal is to learn the shadow of the state ρ by using a series of measurement operators that have two outcomes in nature. Aaronson et al. [1] developed an online setting for a non-realizable case, where the maximum possible loss is O( √ Tn) for the best possible state up to T−measurements . It is noteworthy that this outcome is an extension of the Aaronson PAC-like findings [2]. GANIT J. Bangladesh Math. Soc. 43.1 (2023) 65-74
Abstract Suppose we have many copies of an unknown n -qubit state . We measure some copies of using a known two-outcome measurement E 1 , then other copies using a measurement E 2 , and so on. At each stage t , we generate a current hypothesis about the state , using the outcomes of the previous measurements. We show that it is possible to do this in a way that guarantees that , the error in our prediction for the next measurement, is at least at most times. Even in the ‘non-realizable’ setting—where there could be arbitrary noise in the measurement outcomes—we show how to output hypothesis states that incur at most excess loss over the best possible state on the first T measurements. These results generalize a 2007 theorem by Aaronson on the PAC-learnability of quantum states, to the online and regret-minimization settings. We give three different ways to prove our results—using convex optimization, quantum postselection, and sequential fat-shattering dimension—which have different advantages in terms of parameters and portability.
How many samples of a quantum state are required to learn a complete description of it? As we will see in this thesis, the fine-grained answer depends on the measurements available to the learner, but in general it is at least Ω(d^2/ϵ^2) where d is the dimension of the state and ϵ the trace distance accuracy. Optimal algorithms for this task -- known as quantum state tomography -- make use of powerful, yet highly impractical entangled measurements, where some joint measurement is performed on all copies of the state. What can be accomplished without such measurements, where one must perform measurements on individual copies of the states? \n \nIn Chapter 2 we show a relationship between the recently proposed quantum online learning framework and quantum state tomography. Specifically, we show that tomography can be accomplished using online learning algorithms in a black-box manner and O(d^4/ϵ^4) two-outcome measurements on separate copies of the state. The interpretation of this approach is that the experimentalist uses informative measurements to teach the learner by helping it make "mistakes" on measurements as early as possible. \n \nWe move on to proving lower bounds on tomography in Chapter 3. First, we review a known lower bound for entangled measurements as well as a Ω(d^3/ϵ^2) lower bound in the setting where non-entangled measurements are made non-adaptively, both due to Ref.[18]. We then derive a novel bound of Ω(d^4/ϵ^2) samples when the learner is further restricted to observing a constant number of outcomes (e.g., two-outcome measurements). This implies that the folklore "Pauli tomography" algorithm is optimal in this setting. \n \nUnderstanding the power of adaptive measurements, where measurement choices can depend on previous outcomes, is currently an open problem. In Chapter 4 we present two scenarios in which adapting on previous outcomes makes no difference to the number of samples required. In the first, the learner is limited to adapting on at most o(d^2/ϵ^2) of the previous outcomes. In the second, measurements are drawn from some set of at most exp(O(d)) measurements. In particular, this second lower bound implies that adaptivity makes no difference in the regime of efficiently implementable measurements, in the context of quantum computing. \n \nFinally, we apply the above technique to the problems of classical shadows and shadow tomography to obtain similar lower bounds. Here, one is interested only in determining the expectations of some fixed set of observables. We once again find that, for the worst-case input of observables, adaptivity makes no difference to the sample complexity when considering efficient, non-entangled measurements. As a corollary, we find a straightforward algorithm for shadow tomography is optimal in this setting.
Online learning is a framework for interfacing with environments whose structure is revealed through interactions; quantum information theory is a means of representing data and its processing consistent with modern understanding of physics. Their union is symbiotic---sequential processing is light on precious quantum resources, and quantum algorithms can surpass known bounds of classical algorithms---their combination being an area of independent interest. This thesis aims to exemplify the above point via five case studies on tomography, change detection, and function evaluation. In the process of deriving efficient tomography procedures, prior work has shown that quantum states can be learned in online adversarial environments. We extend this notion to subsets of positive semidefinite operators, including general quantum objects such as states, measurements, channels, strategies, co-strategies, and Gram matrices. We tailor a regularized follow-the-leader algorithm and achieve sublinear regret. As a byproduct, we show a generalization of Pinsker's inequality that accounts for differences in trace, its proof method more broadly applicable to general divergences. We further extend online learnability to objects in arbitrary physical theories. We derive mappings between Euclidean Jordan algebras and generalized probabilistic theories, using methods for the former to show that states in the latter are learnable. Specifically, we develop a projective version of the symmetric cone multiplicative weights update algorithm that achieves sublinear regret when learning states of generalized probabilistic theories. We consider the task of detecting changes in sequences of unknown quantum states with a constraint of no false positives, developing efficient and optimal online quantum algorithms. These include online algorithms with small amounts of quantum memory based on the swap test, and optimal algorithms projecting onto the symmetric subspace. We find circuit constructions for these algorithms, analyze their complexity, and show their equivalence under certain memory limitations. The proposed algorithms are applicable to quality control and anomaly detection in quantum devices, and may be of independent interest for identity testing and optimal cloning. We elaborate on the quality control aspect of changepoint methods by developing procedures for aiding the calibration of near-term quantum devices. These consist of algorithms for certification and changepoint detection in Hamiltonian dynamics, which enable continuous monitoring and trigger recalibration procedures. Using a cumulative sum procedure, we attain an asymptotically-optimal scaling of the average times to detection versus false positive, dependent primarily on Hamiltonian norm bounds. Lastly, we quantify the effect of memory limits on Boolean function evaluation of quantum sequences---a task applicable to distributed sensing and quantum reading of classical memories, among others. We show that minimum-error function evaluation in the memoryless regime is equivalent to the so-called pretty good measurement and hence shares its performance guarantee. Additionally, we characterize the precise set of functions on which this strategy performs optimally---affine functions. The above studies reveal insights about learnability as a universal property and the tradeoffs between performance and resource requirements in online settings, informing the choice of quantum settings best-suited for online learning. We conclude by summarizing these takeaways, along with listing remaining open questions.