Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2107.00195 · Mathematics

Non-Parametric Semi-Supervised Learning in Many-Body Hilbert Space with Rescaled Logarithmic Fidelity

Weiming Li, Shi-Ju Ran

Published Mar 15, 2022• 4 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In quantum and quantum-inspired machine learning, a key step is to embed the data in the quantum space known as Hilbert space. Studying quantum kernel function, which defines the distances among the samples in the Hilbert space, belongs to the fundamental topics in this direction. In this work, we propose a tunable quantum-inspired kernel function (QIKF) named rescaled logarithmic fidelity (RLF) and a non-parametric algorithm for the semi-supervised learning in the quantum space. The rescaling takes advantage of the non-linearity of the kernel to tune the mutual distances of samples in the Hilbert space, and meanwhile avoids the exponentially-small fidelities between quantum many-qubit states. Being non-parametric excludes the possible effects from the variational parameters, and evidently demonstrates the properties of the kernel itself. Our results on the hand-written digits (MNIST dataset) and movie reviews (IMDb dataset) support the validity of our method, by comparing with the standard fidelity as the QIKF as well as several well-known non-parametric algorithms (naive Bayes classifiers, k-nearest neighbors, and spectral clustering). High accuracy is demonstrated, particularly for the unsupervised case with no labeled samples and the few-shot cases with small numbers of labeled samples. With the visualizations by t-stochastic neighbor embedding, our results imply that the machine learning in the Hilbert space complies with the principles of maximal coding rate reduction, where the low-dimensional data exhibit within-class compressibility, between-class discrimination, and overall diversity. The proposed QIKF and semi-supervised algorithm can be further combined with the parametric models such as tensor networks, quantum circuits, and quantum neural networks.

DOI
10.3390/math10060940

Related papers

Non-parametric Active Learning and Rate Reduction in Many-body Hilbert Space with Rescaled Logarithmic Fidelity.

Weiming Li, Shi-Ju Ran

In quantum and quantum-inspired machine learning, the very first step is to embed the data in quantum space known as Hilbert space. Developing quantum kernel function (QKF), which defines the distances among the samples in the Hilbert space, belongs to the fundamental topics for machine learning. In this work, we propose the rescaled logarithmic fidelity (RLF) and a non-parametric active learning in the quantum space, which we name as RLF-NAL. The rescaling takes advantage of the non-linearity of the kernel to tune the mutual distances of samples in the Hilbert space, and meanwhile avoids the exponentially-small fidelities between quantum many-qubit states. We compare RLF-NAL with several well-known non-parametric algorithms including naive Bayes classifiers, $k$-nearest neighbors, and spectral clustering. Our method exhibits excellent accuracy particularly for the unsupervised case with no labeled samples and the few-shot cases with small numbers of labeled samples. With the visualizations by t-SNE, our results imply that the machine learning in the Hilbert space complies with the principles of maximal coding rate reduction, where the low-dimensional data exhibit within-class compressibility, between-class discrimination, and overall diversity. Our proposals can be applied to other quantum and quantum-inspired machine learning, including the methods using the parametric models such as tensor networks, quantum circuits, and quantum neural networks.

•Jul 1, 2021•0 citations

Parametric t-stochastic neighbor embedding with quantum neural network

Yoshiaki Kawase, Kosuke Mitarai, Keisuke Fujii

t-stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) is a nonparametric data visualization method in classical machine learning. It maps the data from the high-dimensional space into a low-dimensional space, especially a two-dimensional plane, while maintaining the relationship or similarities between the surrounding points. In t-SNE, the initial position of the low-dimensional data is randomly determined, and the visualization is achieved by moving the low-dimensional data to minimize a cost function. Its variant called parametric t-SNE uses neural networks for this mapping. In this paper, we propose to use quantum neural networks for parametric t-SNE to reflect the characteristics of high-dimensional quantum data on low-dimensional data. We use fidelity-based metrics instead of Euclidean distance in calculating high-dimensional data similarity. To verify our proposed method, we visualize both classical (Iris dataset) and quantum (time-depending Hamiltonian dynamics) data for classification tasks. Since this method allows us to represent a quantum dataset in a higher dimensional Hilbert space by a quantum dataset in a lower dimension while keeping their similarity, the proposed method can also be used to compress quantum data for further quantum machine learning.

arXiv:2202.04238•Physical Review Research•Dec 19, 2022•14 citations

Non-variational supervised quantum kernel methods: a review

John Tanner, Chon-Fai Kam, Jingbo Wang

Quantum kernel methods (QKMs) have emerged as a prominent framework for supervised quantum machine learning. Unlike variational quantum algorithms, which rely on gradient-based optimisation and may suffer from issues such as barren plateaus, non-variational QKMs employ fixed quantum feature maps, with model selection performed classically via convex optimisation and cross-validation. This separation of quantum feature embedding from classical training ensures stable optimisation while leveraging quantum circuits to encode data in high-dimensional Hilbert spaces. In this review, we provide a thorough analysis of non-variational supervised QKMs, covering their foundations in classical kernel theory, constructions of fidelity and projected quantum kernels, and methods for their estimation in practice. We examine frameworks for assessing quantum advantage, including generalisation bounds and necessary conditions for separation from classical models, and analyse key challenges such as exponential concentration, dequantisation via tensor-network methods, and the spectral properties of kernel integral operators. We further discuss structured problem classes that may enable advantage, and synthesise insights from comparative and hardware studies. Overall, this review aims to clarify the regimes in which QKMs may offer genuine advantages, and to delineate the conceptual, methodological, and technical obstacles that must be overcome for practical quantum-enhanced learning.

quant-pharXiv:2604.07896•Apr 10, 2026•0 citations

Quantum-Inspired Feature Embeddings for Semi-Supervised Learning in Sparse Label Regimes: A Variational Framework with Classical Simulation Guarantees

Zhang Wei

Semi-supervised learning (SSL) has emerged as a critical paradigm for leveraging abundant unlabeled data alongside scarce labeled samples, yet classical approaches often struggle in sparse label regimes where the ratio of labeled to unlabeled data is extremely low. Meanwhile, quantum machine learning (QML) has demonstrated that quantum feature spaces can induce rich kernel structures with provable representational advantages, but these methods typically require quantum hardware that remains inaccessible for practical deployment. In this work, we propose a quantum-inspired semi-supervised learning framework that harnesses the geometric properties of quantum Hilbert space embeddings while remaining entirely classical and hardware-independent. Our approach, which we term Quantum-Inspired SemiSupervised Learning (QISSL), constructs feature maps that mimic the action of quantum encoding circuits via classically simulable kernel functions derived from randomized trigonometric expansions. We provide rigorous theoretical analysis establishing: (1) a bounded approximation guarantee between our classical embeddings and their quantum counterparts; (2) a generalization bound for QISSL under low-label regimes via Rademacher complexity analysis; and (3) a convergence proof for the alternating optimization procedure that jointly trains the embedding and classifier modules. Extensive experiments on benchmark datasets demonstrate that QISSL achieves state-of-the-art performance in extreme low-label settings (0.1%–1% labeled data), outperforming strong baselines including FixMatch, MixMatch, and FlexMatch by margins of 2–7% in accuracy. Our results suggest that the inductive biases of quantum feature spaces—when properly classically approximated—offer a powerful and practical tool for semi-supervised learning without quantum hardware.

•Apr 24, 2026•0 citations

Quantum Policy Gradient in Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space

David M. Bossens, Kishor Bharti, Jayne E. Thompson

Parametrised quantum circuits offer expressive and data-efficient representations for machine learning. Due to quantum states residing in a high-dimensional Hilbert space, parametrised quantum circuits have a natural interpretation in terms of kernel methods. The representation of quantum circuits in terms of quantum kernels has been studied widely in quantum supervised learning, but has been overlooked in the context of quantum RL. This paper proposes the use of kernel policies and quantum policy gradient algorithms for quantum-accessible environments. After discussing the properties of such policies and a demonstration of classical policy gradient on a coherent policy in a quantum environment, we propose parametric and non-parametric policy gradient and actor-critic algorithms with quantum kernel policies in quantum environments. This approach, implemented with both numerical and analytical quantum policy gradient techniques, allows exploiting the many advantages of kernel methods, including data-driven forms for functions (and their gradients) as well as tunable expressiveness. The proposed approach is suitable for vector-valued action spaces and each of the formulations demonstrates a quadratic reduction in query complexity compared to their classical counterparts. We propose actor-critic algorithms based on stochastic policy gradient, deterministic policy gradient, and natural policy gradient, and demonstrate additional query complexity reductions compared to quantum policy gradient algorithms under favourable conditions.

arXiv:2411.06650•Nov 11, 2024•0 citations

Tree-tensor-network classifiers for machine learning: From quantum inspired to quantum assisted

Michael L. Wall, Giuseppe D’Aguanno

We describe a quantum-assisted machine learning method in which multivariate data are encoded into quantum states in a Hilbert space whose dimension is exponentially large in the length of the data vector. Learning in this space occurs through applying a low-depth quantum circuit with a tree-tensor-network (TTN) topology acting as an unsupervised feature extractor to identify the most relevant quantum states in a data-driven fashion and then applying a supervised linear classifier encoding the class decision in a small-dimensional quantum register. We present tools for making TTN classifiers amenable to implementation on gate-based quantum computing devices, including an embedding map with accuracy similar to the recently defined exponential machines (A. Novikov et al., arXiv:1605.03795) but which produces valid quantum state embeddings of classical data vectors, and the use of manifold-based gradient optimization schemes to produce isometric operations mapping quantum states to a register of qubits defining a class decision. We detail methods for efficiently obtaining one-point and two-point correlation functions of the vectors defining the decision boundary of the quantum model, which can be used for model interpretability, as well as methods for obtaining classification decisions from partial data vectors. Further, we show that the use of isometric tensors can significantly aid in the human interpretability of the correlation functions extracted from the decision weights and may produce models that are less susceptible to adversarial perturbations. Finally, we discuss in detail the problem of compiling classically optimized isometric TTN models into unitary operations to be run on quantum computers and how isometric models requiring postselection on quantum hardware can be used to precondition variational Ans\"atze for models without postselection. We demonstrate our methodologies in applications utilizing the MNIST database of handwritten digits and a multivariate time-series data set of human activity recognition.

arXiv:2104.02249•Physical Review A•Oct 7, 2021•32 citations
In quantum and quantum-inspired machine learning, a key step is to embed the data in the quantum space known as Hilbert space. Studying quantum kernel function, which defines the distances among the samples in the Hilbert space, belongs to the fundamental topics in this direction. In this work, we propose a tunable quantum-inspired kernel function (QIKF) named rescaled logarithmic fidelity (RLF) and a non-parametric algorithm for the semi-supervised learning in the quantum space. The rescaling takes advantage of the non-linearity of the kernel to tune the mutual distances of samples in the Hilbert space, and meanwhile avoids the exponentially-small fidelities between quantum many-qubit states. Being non-parametric excludes the possible effects from the variational parameters, and evidently demonstrates the properties of the kernel itself. Our results on the hand-written digits (MNIST dataset) and movie reviews (IMDb dataset) support the validity of our method, by comparing with the standard fidelity as the QIKF as well as several well-known non-parametric algorithms (naive Bayes classifiers, k-nearest neighbors, and spectral clustering). High accuracy is demonstrated, particularly for the unsupervised case with no labeled samples and the few-shot cases with small numbers of labeled samples. With the visualizations by t-stochastic neighbor embedding, our results imply that the machine learning in the Hilbert space complies with the principles of maximal coding rate reduction, where the low-dimensional data exhibit within-class compressibility, between-class discrimination, and overall diversity. The proposed QIKF and semi-supervised algorithm can be further combined with the parametric models such as tensor networks, quantum circuits, and quantum neural networks.
In quantum and quantum-inspired machine learning, the very first step is to embed the data in quantum space known as Hilbert space. Developing quantum kernel function (QKF), which defines the distances among the samples in the Hilbert space, belongs to the fundamental topics for machine learning. In this work, we propose the rescaled logarithmic fidelity (RLF) and a non-parametric active learning in the quantum space, which we name as RLF-NAL. The rescaling takes advantage of the non-linearity of the kernel to tune the mutual distances of samples in the Hilbert space, and meanwhile avoids the exponentially-small fidelities between quantum many-qubit states. We compare RLF-NAL with several well-known non-parametric algorithms including naive Bayes classifiers, kkk-nearest neighbors, and spectral clustering. Our method exhibits excellent accuracy particularly for the unsupervised case with no labeled samples and the few-shot cases with small numbers of labeled samples. With the visualizations by t-SNE, our results imply that the machine learning in the Hilbert space complies with the principles of maximal coding rate reduction, where the low-dimensional data exhibit within-class compressibility, between-class discrimination, and overall diversity. Our proposals can be applied to other quantum and quantum-inspired machine learning, including the methods using the parametric models such as tensor networks, quantum circuits, and quantum neural networks.
t-stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) is a nonparametric data visualization method in classical machine learning. It maps the data from the high-dimensional space into a low-dimensional space, especially a two-dimensional plane, while maintaining the relationship or similarities between the surrounding points. In t-SNE, the initial position of the low-dimensional data is randomly determined, and the visualization is achieved by moving the low-dimensional data to minimize a cost function. Its variant called parametric t-SNE uses neural networks for this mapping. In this paper, we propose to use quantum neural networks for parametric t-SNE to reflect the characteristics of high-dimensional quantum data on low-dimensional data. We use fidelity-based metrics instead of Euclidean distance in calculating high-dimensional data similarity. To verify our proposed method, we visualize both classical (Iris dataset) and quantum (time-depending Hamiltonian dynamics) data for classification tasks. Since this method allows us to represent a quantum dataset in a higher dimensional Hilbert space by a quantum dataset in a lower dimension while keeping their similarity, the proposed method can also be used to compress quantum data for further quantum machine learning.
Quantum kernel methods (QKMs) have emerged as a prominent framework for supervised quantum machine learning. Unlike variational quantum algorithms, which rely on gradient-based optimisation and may suffer from issues such as barren plateaus, non-variational QKMs employ fixed quantum feature maps, with model selection performed classically via convex optimisation and cross-validation. This separation of quantum feature embedding from classical training ensures stable optimisation while leveraging quantum circuits to encode data in high-dimensional Hilbert spaces. In this review, we provide a thorough analysis of non-variational supervised QKMs, covering their foundations in classical kernel theory, constructions of fidelity and projected quantum kernels, and methods for their estimation in practice. We examine frameworks for assessing quantum advantage, including generalisation bounds and necessary conditions for separation from classical models, and analyse key challenges such as exponential concentration, dequantisation via tensor-network methods, and the spectral properties of kernel integral operators. We further discuss structured problem classes that may enable advantage, and synthesise insights from comparative and hardware studies. Overall, this review aims to clarify the regimes in which QKMs may offer genuine advantages, and to delineate the conceptual, methodological, and technical obstacles that must be overcome for practical quantum-enhanced learning.
Semi-supervised learning (SSL) has emerged as a critical paradigm for leveraging abundant unlabeled data alongside scarce labeled samples, yet classical approaches often struggle in sparse label regimes where the ratio of labeled to unlabeled data is extremely low. Meanwhile, quantum machine learning (QML) has demonstrated that quantum feature spaces can induce rich kernel structures with provable representational advantages, but these methods typically require quantum hardware that remains inaccessible for practical deployment. In this work, we propose a quantum-inspired semi-supervised learning framework that harnesses the geometric properties of quantum Hilbert space embeddings while remaining entirely classical and hardware-independent. Our approach, which we term Quantum-Inspired SemiSupervised Learning (QISSL), constructs feature maps that mimic the action of quantum encoding circuits via classically simulable kernel functions derived from randomized trigonometric expansions. We provide rigorous theoretical analysis establishing: (1) a bounded approximation guarantee between our classical embeddings and their quantum counterparts; (2) a generalization bound for QISSL under low-label regimes via Rademacher complexity analysis; and (3) a convergence proof for the alternating optimization procedure that jointly trains the embedding and classifier modules. Extensive experiments on benchmark datasets demonstrate that QISSL achieves state-of-the-art performance in extreme low-label settings (0.1%–1% labeled data), outperforming strong baselines including FixMatch, MixMatch, and FlexMatch by margins of 2–7% in accuracy. Our results suggest that the inductive biases of quantum feature spaces—when properly classically approximated—offer a powerful and practical tool for semi-supervised learning without quantum hardware.
Parametrised quantum circuits offer expressive and data-efficient representations for machine learning. Due to quantum states residing in a high-dimensional Hilbert space, parametrised quantum circuits have a natural interpretation in terms of kernel methods. The representation of quantum circuits in terms of quantum kernels has been studied widely in quantum supervised learning, but has been overlooked in the context of quantum RL. This paper proposes the use of kernel policies and quantum policy gradient algorithms for quantum-accessible environments. After discussing the properties of such policies and a demonstration of classical policy gradient on a coherent policy in a quantum environment, we propose parametric and non-parametric policy gradient and actor-critic algorithms with quantum kernel policies in quantum environments. This approach, implemented with both numerical and analytical quantum policy gradient techniques, allows exploiting the many advantages of kernel methods, including data-driven forms for functions (and their gradients) as well as tunable expressiveness. The proposed approach is suitable for vector-valued action spaces and each of the formulations demonstrates a quadratic reduction in query complexity compared to their classical counterparts. We propose actor-critic algorithms based on stochastic policy gradient, deterministic policy gradient, and natural policy gradient, and demonstrate additional query complexity reductions compared to quantum policy gradient algorithms under favourable conditions.
We describe a quantum-assisted machine learning method in which multivariate data are encoded into quantum states in a Hilbert space whose dimension is exponentially large in the length of the data vector. Learning in this space occurs through applying a low-depth quantum circuit with a tree-tensor-network (TTN) topology acting as an unsupervised feature extractor to identify the most relevant quantum states in a data-driven fashion and then applying a supervised linear classifier encoding the class decision in a small-dimensional quantum register. We present tools for making TTN classifiers amenable to implementation on gate-based quantum computing devices, including an embedding map with accuracy similar to the recently defined exponential machines (A. Novikov et al., arXiv:1605.03795) but which produces valid quantum state embeddings of classical data vectors, and the use of manifold-based gradient optimization schemes to produce isometric operations mapping quantum states to a register of qubits defining a class decision. We detail methods for efficiently obtaining one-point and two-point correlation functions of the vectors defining the decision boundary of the quantum model, which can be used for model interpretability, as well as methods for obtaining classification decisions from partial data vectors. Further, we show that the use of isometric tensors can significantly aid in the human interpretability of the correlation functions extracted from the decision weights and may produce models that are less susceptible to adversarial perturbations. Finally, we discuss in detail the problem of compiling classically optimized isometric TTN models into unitary operations to be run on quantum computers and how isometric models requiring postselection on quantum hardware can be used to precondition variational Ans\"atze for models without postselection. We demonstrate our methodologies in applications utilizing the MNIST database of handwritten digits and a multivariate time-series data set of human activity recognition.