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arXiv:2311.05050 · Machine Learning Science and Technology

Sequential learning on a tensor network Born machine with trainable token embedding

Wanda Hou, Miao Li, Yi‐Zhuang You

Published May 28, 2025• 2 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract Generative models aim to learn the probability distributions underlying data, enabling the generation of new, realistic samples. Quantum-inspired generative models, such as Born machines based on the matrix product state (MPS) framework, have demonstrated remarkable capabilities in unsupervised learning tasks. This study advances the Born machine paradigm by introducing trainable token embeddings through positive operator-valued measurements (POVMs), replacing the traditional approach of static tensor indices. Key technical innovations include encoding tokens as quantum measurement operators with trainable parameters and leveraging QR decomposition to adjust the physical dimensions of the MPS. This approach maximizes the utilization of operator space and enhances the model’s expressiveness. Empirical results on RNA data demonstrate that the proposed method significantly reduces negative log-likelihood compared to one-hot embeddings, with higher physical dimensions further enhancing single-site probabilities and multi-site correlations. The model also outperforms GPT-2 in single-site estimation and achieves competitive correlation modeling, showcasing the potential of trainable POVM embeddings for complex data correlations in quantum-inspired sequence modeling.

DOI
10.1088/2632-2153/adde29

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Abstract Generative models aim to learn the probability distributions underlying data, enabling the generation of new, realistic samples. Quantum-inspired generative models, such as Born machines based on the matrix product state (MPS) framework, have demonstrated remarkable capabilities in unsupervised learning tasks. This study advances the Born machine paradigm by introducing trainable token embeddings through positive operator-valued measurements (POVMs), replacing the traditional approach of static tensor indices. Key technical innovations include encoding tokens as quantum measurement operators with trainable parameters and leveraging QR decomposition to adjust the physical dimensions of the MPS. This approach maximizes the utilization of operator space and enhances the model’s expressiveness. Empirical results on RNA data demonstrate that the proposed method significantly reduces negative log-likelihood compared to one-hot embeddings, with higher physical dimensions further enhancing single-site probabilities and multi-site correlations. The model also outperforms GPT-2 in single-site estimation and achieves competitive correlation modeling, showcasing the potential of trainable POVM embeddings for complex data correlations in quantum-inspired sequence modeling.
Abstract Generative models are a class of machine learning models that aim to learn the underlying probability distribution of data. Unlike discriminative models, generative models focus on capturing the data's inherent structure, allowing them to generate new samples that resemble the original data. To fully exploit the potential of modeling probability distributions using quantum physics, a quantum-inspired generative model known as the Born machines have shown great advancements in learning classical and quantum data over matrix product state(MPS) framework. The Born machines support tractable log-likelihood, autoregressive and mask sampling, and have shown outstanding performance in various unsupervised learning tasks. However, much of the current research has been centered on improving the expressive power of MPS, predominantly embedding each token directly by a corresponding tensor index. In this study, we generalize the embedding method into trainable quantum measurement operators that can be simultaneously honed with MPS. Our study indicated that combined with trainable embedding, Born machines can exhibit better performance and learn deeper correlations from the dataset.
Abstract Quantum machine learning (QML) is a rapidly expanding field that merges the principles of quantum computing with the techniques of machine learning. One of the powerful mathematical frameworks in this domain is tensor networks. These networks are used to approximate high-order tensors by contracting tensors with lower ranks. Originally developed for simulating quantum systems, tensor networks have become integral to quantum computing and, by extension, to QML. Their ability to efficiently represent and manipulate complex, high-dimensional data makes them suitable for various machine learning tasks within the quantum realm. Here, we present a matrix product state (MPS) model, where the MPS functions as both a classifier and a generator. The dual functionality of this novel MPS model permits a strategy that enhances the traditional training of supervised MPS models. This framework is inspired by generative adversarial networks and is geared towards generating more realistic samples by reducing outliers. Additionally, our contributions offer insights into the mechanics of tensor network methods for generation tasks. Specifically, we discuss alternative embedding functions and a new sampling method from non-normalized MPSs.
Tensor-network Born machines (TNBMs) are quantum-inspired generative models for learning data distributions. Using tensor-network contraction and optimization techniques, the model learns an efficient representation of the target distribution, capable of capturing complex correlations with a compact parameterization. Despite their promise, the optimization of TNBMs presents several challenges. A key bottleneck of TNBMs is the logarithmic nature of the loss function commonly used for this problem. The single-tensor logarithmic optimization problem cannot be solved analytically, necessitating an iterative approach that slows down convergence and increases the risk of getting trapped in one of many non-optimal local minima. In this paper, we present an improved second-order optimization technique for TNBM training, which significantly enhances convergence rates and the quality of the optimized model. Our method employs a modified Newton's method on the manifold of normalized states, incorporating regularization of the loss landscape to mitigate local minima issues. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by training a one-dimensional matrix product state (MPS) on both discrete and continuous datasets, showcasing its advantages in terms of stability and efficiency, and demonstrating its potential as a robust and scalable approach for optimizing quantum-inspired generative models.
Quantum machine learning (QML) is a rapidly expanding field that merges the principles of quantum computing with the techniques of machine learning. One of the powerful mathematical frameworks in this domain is tensor networks. These networks are used to approximate high-order tensors by contracting tensors with lower ranks. Initially developed for simulating quantum systems, tensor networks have become integral to quantum computing and, by extension, to QML. Drawing inspiration from these quantum methods, specifically the Matrix Product States (MPS), we apply them in a classical machine learning setting. Their ability to efficiently represent and manipulate complex, high-dimensional data makes them effective in a supervised learning framework. Here, we present an MPS model, in which the MPS functions as both a classifier and a generator. The dual functionality of this novel MPS model permits a strategy that enhances the traditional training of supervised MPS models. This framework is inspired by generative adversarial networks and is geared towards generating more realistic samples by reducing outliers. In addition, our contributions offer insights into the mechanics of tensor network methods for generation tasks. Specifically, we discuss alternative embedding functions and a new sampling method from non-normalized MPSs.
Beyond their origin in modeling many-body quantum systems, tensor networks have emerged as a promising class of models for solving machine learning problems, notably in unsupervised generative learning. While possessing many desirable features arising from their quantum-inspired nature, tensor network generative models have previously been largely restricted to binary or categorical data, limiting their utility in real-world modeling problems. We overcome this by introducing a new family of tensor network generative models for continuous data, which are capable of learning from distributions containing continuous random variables. We develop our method in the setting of matrix product states, first deriving a universal expressivity theorem proving the ability of this model family to approximate any reasonably smooth probability density function with arbitrary precision. We then benchmark the performance of this model on several synthetic and real-world datasets, finding that the model learns and generalizes well on distributions of continuous and discrete variables. We develop methods for modeling different data domains, and introduce a trainable compression layer which is found to increase model performance given limited memory or computational resources. Overall, our methods give important theoretical and empirical evidence of the efficacy of quantum-inspired methods for the rapidly growing field of generative learning.
Matrix product states (MPSs), a tensor network designed for one-dimensional quantum systems, were recently proposed for generative modeling of natural data (such as images) in terms of the ``Born machine.'' However, the exponential decay of correlation in MPSs restricts its representation power heavily for modeling complex data such as natural images. In this work, we push forward the effort of applying tensor networks to machine learning by employing the tree tensor network (TTN), which exhibits balanced performance in expressibility and efficient training and sampling. We design the tree tensor network to utilize the two-dimensional prior of the natural images and develop sweeping learning and sampling algorithms which can be efficiently implemented utilizing graphical processing units. We apply our model to random binary patterns and the binary MNIST data sets of handwritten digits. We show that the TTN is superior to MPSs for generative modeling in keeping the correlation of pixels in natural images, as well as giving better log-likelihood scores in standard data sets of handwritten digits. We also compare its performance with state-of-the-art generative models such as variational autoencoders, restricted Boltzmann machines, and PixelCNN. Finally, we discuss the future development of tensor network states in machine learning problems.