Due to the unreliability and limited capacity of existing quantum computer prototypes, quantum circuit simulation continues to be a vital tool for validating next generation quantum computers and for studying variational quantum algorithms, which are among the leading candidates for useful quantum computation. Existing quantum circuit simulators do not address the common traits of variational algorithms, namely: 1) their ability to work with noisy qubits and operations, 2) their repeated execution of the same circuits but with different parameters, and 3) the fact that they sample from circuit final wavefunctions to drive a classical optimization routine. We present a quantum circuit simulation toolchain based on logical abstractions targeted for simulating variational algorithms. Our proposed toolchain encodes quantum amplitudes and noise probabilities in a probabilistic graphical model, and it compiles the circuits to logical formulas that support efficient repeated simulation of and sampling from quantum circuits for different parameters. Compared to state-of-the-art state vector and density matrix quantum circuit simulators, our simulation approach offers greater performance when sampling from noisy circuits with at least eight to 20 qubits and with around 12 operations on each qubit, making the approach ideal for simulating near-term variational quantum algorithms. And for simulating noise-free shallow quantum circuits with 32 qubits, our simulation approach offers a 66× reduction in sampling cost versus quantum circuit simulation techniques based on tensor network contraction.
Due to the unreliability and limited capacity of existing quantum computer prototypes, quantum circuit simulation continues to be a vital tool for validating next generation quantum computers and for studying variational quantum algorithms, which are among the leading candidates for useful quantum computation. Existing quantum circuit simulators do not address the common traits of variational algorithms, namely: 1) their ability to work with noisy qubits and operations, 2) their repeated execution of the same circuits but with different parameters, and 3) the fact that they sample from circuit final wavefunctions to drive a classical optimization routine. We present a quantum circuit simulation toolchain based on logical abstractions targeted for simulating variational algorithms. Our proposed toolchain encodes quantum amplitudes and noise probabilities in a probabilistic graphical model, and it compiles the circuits to logical formulas that support efficient repeated simulation of and sampling from quantum circuits for different parameters. Compared to state-of-the-art state vector and density matrix quantum circuit simulators, our simulation approach offers greater performance when sampling from noisy circuits with at least eight to 20 qubits and with around 12 operations on each qubit, making the approach ideal for simulating near-term variational quantum algorithms. And for simulating noise-free shallow quantum circuits with 32 qubits, our simulation approach offers a 66× reduction in sampling cost versus quantum circuit simulation techniques based on tensor network contraction.
Quantum circuit simulators running on classical computers offer a vital platform for designing, testing, and optimizing quantum algorithms, driving innovation despite limited access to real quantum hardware. However, their scalability is inherently constrained by exponential memory and computational overhead, which restricts accurate simulation of large-scale quantum circuits and often results in approximate output distributions. Here, we propose an exact sampling algorithm that integrates tensor network contraction techniques with a Markov process, wherein a classical state evolves according to the local structure of the quantum circuit. As a demonstration, we target the challenge of generating samples from ideal and noisy QAOA circuits with up to 476 qubits, incorporating both depolarizing and amplitude damping noise models. These results enable further validation of several assumptions and conjectures at a scale previously out of reach, significantly expanding the scope of classical simulation in quantum algorithm research.
Variational quantum algorithms are a class of techniques intended to be used on near-term quantum computers. The goal of these algorithms is to perform large quantum computations by breaking the problem down into a large number of shallow quantum circuits, complemented by classical optimization and feedback between each circuit execution. One path for improving the performance of these algorithms is to enhance the classical optimization technique. Given the relative ease and abundance of classical computing resources, there is ample opportunity to do so. In this work, we introduce the idea of learning surrogate models for variational circuits using a few experimental measurements, and then performing parameter optimization using these models as opposed to the original data. We demonstrate this idea using a surrogate model based on kernel approximations, through which we reconstruct local patches of variational cost functions using batches of noisy quantum circuit results. Through application to the quantum approximate optimization algorithm and preparation of ground states for molecules, we demonstrate the superiority of surrogate-based optimization over commonly used optimization techniques for variational algorithms.
Classical simulation of noisy quantum circuits is essential for validating algorithms, benchmarking hardware, and assessing error-mitigation strategies, but remains limited by the exponential cost of density-matrix methods and the high variance of standard trajectory sampling. We introduce a variance-aware tensor network framework that combines the tensor jump method with local TDVP gate evolution on matrix product states and sparse Pauli-Lindblad hardware noise models. Gates are applied as short variational evolutions on the MPS manifold, while noise is sampled per circuit window from Pauli-Lindblad jump sets with state-independent hazards and dissipative contractions that reduce to irrelevant global factors after renormalization. The method supports correlated multi-qubit Lindblad noise consistent with hardware connectivity, including long-range operators on non-adjacent qubits, enabling direct simulation of crosstalk and other connectivity-induced errors beyond local noise models. We develop two unbiased variance-aware unravelings. An analog unitary-mixture unraveling matches the Lindblad generator exactly under symmetric Gaussian or two-point angle laws, while a projector-jump unraveling yields state-independent hazards and closed-form variance laws. Both retain the standard 1/sqrt(N) Monte Carlo convergence but with reduced prefactors. Empirically, projector sampling strongly reduces trajectory variance and bond-dimension growth across many circuit architectures, whereas analog sampling is most effective at weak noise. We demonstrate accurate, scalable noisy-circuit simulation on a 25-qubit noisy XY quench and IBM's 127-qubit kicked-Ising benchmark with long-range depolarizing noise, achieving reduced Monte Carlo variance and favorable MPS bond-dimension growth compared with standard Kraus-insertion baselines.
Noise in quantum operations often negates the advantage of quantum computation. However, most classical simulations of quantum computers calculate the ideal probability amplitudes by either storing full state vectors or using sophisticated tensor-network contractions. Here we investigate sampling-based classical simulation methods for noisy quantum circuits. Specifically, we characterize the simulation costs of two major schemes, stabilizer-state sampling of magic states and Heisenberg propagation, for quantum circuits subject to stochastic Pauli noise, such as depolarizing and dephasing noise. To this end, we introduce several techniques for the stabilizer-state sampling to reduce the simulation costs under such noise. It is revealed that in the low-noise regime, stabilizer-state sampling results in a smaller sampling cost, while Heisenberg propagation is better in the high-noise regime. Furthermore, for a high depolarizing noise rate of approximately 10%, these methods provide better scaling than that given by the low-rank stabilizer decomposition. We believe that this knowledge of classical simulation costs is useful to achieve possible quantum advantage on near-term noisy quantum devices as well as efficient classical simulation methods.
Variational quantum algorithms (VQAs) hold significant promise for solving complex problems across diverse fields. However, their practical implementation on near-term quantum devices is severely hampered by the pervasive effects of quantum noise. Traditional quantum circuit compilation techniques are largely static, failing to account for the unique noise profiles inherent in individual quantum hardware. This paper introduces a novel adaptive quantum circuit compilation framework designed to mitigate these limitations. The core concept centers around dynamically adjusting the circuit layout and gate decomposition in real-time, leveraging measurements of the quantum hardware's noise characteristics to optimize both the accuracy and circuit depth of the compiled quantum circuit. This approach represents a critical step towards unlocking the full potential of VQAs by enabling them to effectively operate within the constraints of noisy quantum computers. The framework incorporates feedback loops for continuous refinement, adapting to evolving noise conditions. The methodology is described, focusing on the key components: noise profiling, adaptive gate decomposition, and circuit re-optimization. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the adaptive approach in reducing circuit depth and improving the fidelity of VQA computations compared to static compilation methods. This work lays the foundation for robust and efficient VQA execution on future quantum hardware.
Simulating noisy quantum circuits is vital in de-signing and verifying quantum algorithms in the current NISQ (Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum) era, where quantum noise is unavoidable. However, it is much more inefficient than the classical counterpart because of the quantum state explosion problem (the dimension of state space is exponential in the number of qubits) and the complex (non-unitary) representation of noises. Consequently, only noisy circuits with up to about 50 qubits can be simulated approximately well. To improve the scalability of the circuits that can be simulated, this paper introduces a novel approximation algorithm for simulating noisy quantum circuits when the noisy effectiveness is insignificant. The algorithm is based on a new tensor network diagram for the noisy simulation and uses the singular value decomposition to approximate the tensors of quantum noises in the diagram. The contraction of the tensor network diagram is implemented on Google's TensorNetwork. The effectiveness and utility of the algorithm are demonstrated by experimenting on a series of practical quantum circuits with realistic superconducting noise models. As a result, our algorithm can approximately simulate quantum circuits with up to 225 qubits and 20 noises (within about 1.8 hours). In particular, our method offers a speedup over the commonly-used approximation (sampling) algorithm - quantum trajectories method [1]. Furthermore, our approach can significantly reduce the number of samples in the quantum trajectories method when the noise rate is small enough,