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arXiv:2106.10819

QUBO formulations for numerical quantum computing

Kyungtaek Jun

Published Jun 21, 2021• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

With the advent of quantum computers, many quantum computing algorithms are being developed. Solving linear systems is one of the most fundamental problems in almost all science and engineering. The Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd algorithm, a monumental quantum algorithm for solving linear systems on gate model quantum computers, was invented and several advanced variations have been developed. For a given n by n matrix A and a vector b, we will find unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) models for a vector x that satisfies Ax=b. To formulate QUBO models for a linear system solving problem, we make use of a linear least-square problem with binary representation of the solution. We validate those QUBO models on the D-Wave system and discuss the results. For a simple system, we provide a Python code to calculate the matrix characterizing the relationship between the variables and to print the test code that can be used directly in the D-Wave system.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2106.10819

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With the advent of quantum computers, many quantum computing algorithms are being developed. Solving linear systems is one of the most fundamental problems in almost all science and engineering. The Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd algorithm, a monumental quantum algorithm for solving linear systems on gate model quantum computers, was invented and several advanced variations have been developed. For a given n by n matrix A and a vector b, we will find unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) models for a vector x that satisfies Ax=b. To formulate QUBO models for a linear system solving problem, we make use of a linear least-square problem with binary representation of the solution. We validate those QUBO models on the D-Wave system and discuss the results. For a simple system, we provide a Python code to calculate the matrix characterizing the relationship between the variables and to print the test code that can be used directly in the D-Wave system.
Abstract With the advent of quantum computers, many quantum computing algorithms are being developed. Solving linear systems is one of the most fundamental problems in almost all of science and engineering. Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd algorithm, a monumental quantum algorithm for solving linear systems on the gate model quantum computers, was invented and several advanced variations have been developed. For a given square matrix A∈R(n×n) and a vector b∈R(n), we will find unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) models for a vector x∈R(n) that satisfies Ax=b. To formulate QUBO models for a linear system solving problem, we make use of a linear least-square problem with binary representation of the solution. We validate those QUBO models on the D-Wave system and discuss the results. For a simple system, We provide a python code to calculate the matrix characterizing the relationship between the variables and to print the test code that can be used directly in D-Wave system.
Many quantum computing algorithms are being developed with the advent of quantum computers. Solving linear systems is one of the most fundamental problems in almost all of science and engineering. HHL algorithm, a monumental quantum algorithm for solving linear systems on the gate model quantum computers, was invented and several advanced variations have been developed. However, HHL-based algorithms have a lot of limitations in spite of their importance. We address solving linear systems on a D-Wave quantum annealing device. To formulate a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) model for a linear system solving problem, we make use of a linear least-square problem with binary representation of the solution. We validate this QUBO model on the D-Wave system and discuss the results.
With the advent and development of quantum computers, various quantum algorithms that can solve linear equations and eigenvalues faster than classical computers have been developed. The Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd algorithm is an algorithm that can solve linear equations in a gate model quantum computer. Still, it is constrained by the use of quantum RAM and the size limit of the matrix according to the total number of qubits in the quantum computer. Recently, Jun and Lee developed a QUBO model for solving linear systems and eigenvalue problems in the quantum computer. However, even though their model uses 2048 qubits, the number of qubits for variables that can be used for the problem is only 64. To solve this problem, we introduce an algorithm that can be used by dividing the size of the entire domain according to the number of qubits. We also form a QUBO model related to each subregion.
With the advent and development of quantum computers, various quantum algorithms that can solve linear equations and eigenvalues faster than classical computers have been developed. In particular, a hybrid solver provided by D-Wave's Leap quantum cloud service can utilize up to two million variables. Using this technology, quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) models have been proposed for linear systems, eigenvalue problems, RSA cryptosystems, and computed tomography (CT) image reconstructions. Generally, QUBO formulation is obtained through simple arithmetic operations, which offers great potential for future development with the progress of quantum computers. A common method here was to binarize the variables and match them to multiple qubits. To achieve the accuracy of 64 bits per variable, 64 logical qubits must be used. Finding the global minimum energy in quantum optimization becomes more difficult as more logical qubits are used; thus, a quantum parallel computing algorithm that can create and compute multiple QUBO models is introduced here. This new algorithm divides the entire domain each variable can have into multiple subranges to generate QUBO models. This paper demonstrates the superior performance of this new algorithm particularly when utilizing an algorithm for binary variables.
The Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) model has gained prominence in recent years with the discovery that it unifies a rich variety of combinatorial optimization problems. By its association with the Ising problem in physics, the QUBO model has emerged as an underpinning of the quantum computing area known as quantum annealing and has become a subject of study in neuromorphic computing. Through these connections, QUBO models lie at the heart of experimentation carried out with quantum computers developed by D-Wave Systems and neuromorphic computers developed by IBM. Computational experience is being amassed by both the classical and the quantum computing communities that highlights not only the potential of the QUBO model but also its effectiveness as an alternative to traditional modeling and solution methodologies. This tutorial discloses the basic features of the QUBO model that give it the power and flexibility to encompass the range of applications that have thrust it onto center stage of the optimization field. We show how many different types of constraining relationships arising in practice can be embodied within the "unconstrained" QUBO formulation in a very natural manner using penalty functions, yielding exact model representations in contrast to the approximate representations produced by customary uses of penalty functions. Each step of generating such models is illustrated in detail by simple numerical examples, to highlight the convenience of using QUBO models in numerous settings. We also describe recent innovations for solving QUBO models that offer a fertile avenue for integrating classical and quantum computing and for applying these models in machine learning.
Recent advances in quantum computing and the increasing availability of quantum hardware have substantially enhanced the practical relevance of quantum approaches to discrete optimization. Among these, the Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) formulation provides a unifying modeling framework for a broad class of NP\mathbf{NP}NP-hard problems and is naturally suited to quantum computing and quantum-inspired algorithms. Location science, network design, and logistics represent core application domains of discrete optimization, combining high practical impact with substantial computational challenges. In this work, we develop QUBO formulations for several fundamental problems in these domains, including a nonlinear integer formulation of the Discrete Ordered Median Problem (DOMP). Beyond their modeling relevance, these QUBO formulations serve as representative benchmark problems for assessing quantum algorithms and quantum hardware. We further derive a tight bound for the penalty parameter ensuring equivalence between the QUBO formulation and its underlying integer program. Finally, we conduct a comprehensive computational study using QAOA, WS-QAOA, and classical heuristics for QUBO instances of the ppp-Median Problem and the Fixed-Charge Facility Location Problem (FCFLP), and introduce two effective warm-start strategies for WS-QAOA based on its linear programming relaxation.