Kernel methods are of current interest in quantum machine learning due to similarities with quantum computing in how they process information in high-dimensional feature (Hilbert) spaces. Kernels are believed to offer particular advantages when they cannot be computed classically, so a kernel matrix with indisputably nonclassical elements is desirable provided it can be generated efficiently in a particular physical machine. Kerr nonlinearities, known to be a route to universal continuous variable (CV) quantum computation, may be able to play this role for quantum machine learning. We propose a quantum hardware kernel implementation scheme based on superconducting quantum circuits. The scheme does not use qubits or quantum circuits but rather exploits the analogue features of Kerr coupled modes. Our approach is more akin to the growing number of analog machine learning schemes based on sampling quantum probabilities directly in an engineered device by stochastic quantum control.
Kernel methods are of current interest in quantum machine learning due to similarities with quantum computing in how they process information in high-dimensional feature (Hilbert) spaces. Kernels are believed to offer particular advantages when they cannot be computed classically, so a kernel matrix with indisputably nonclassical elements is desirable provided it can be generated efficiently in a particular physical machine. Kerr nonlinearities, known to be a route to universal continuous variable (CV) quantum computation, may be able to play this role for quantum machine learning. We propose a quantum hardware kernel implementation scheme based on superconducting quantum circuits. The scheme does not use qubits or quantum circuits but rather exploits the analogue features of Kerr coupled modes. Our approach is more akin to the growing number of analog machine learning schemes based on sampling quantum probabilities directly in an engineered device by stochastic quantum control.
A basic idea of quantum computing is surprisingly similar to that of kernel methods in machine learning, namely, to efficiently perform computations in an intractably large Hilbert space. In this Letter we explore some theoretical foundations of this link and show how it opens up a new avenue for the design of quantum machine learning algorithms. We interpret the process of encoding inputs in a quantum state as a nonlinear feature map that maps data to quantum Hilbert space. A quantum computer can now analyze the input data in this feature space. Based on this link, we discuss two approaches for building a quantum model for classification. In the first approach, the quantum device estimates inner products of quantum states to compute a classically intractable kernel. The kernel can be fed into any classical kernel method such as a support vector machine. In the second approach, we use a variational quantum circuit as a linear model that classifies data explicitly in Hilbert space. We illustrate these ideas with a feature map based on squeezing in a continuous-variable system, and visualize the working principle with two-dimensional minibenchmark datasets.
Abstract Kernel-based learning methods are central to classical machine learning, yet their quantum counterparts have largely remained limited to fixed circuit constructions. Most existing approaches aim to improve the performance of kernel-based support vector machines by heuristically tailoring kernel functions to specific tasks. In this work, we introduce a principled framework for adapting quantum kernels by translating two well-established classical techniques—the Fisher criterion and quasi-conformal kernel transformations—into the setting of continuous-variable (CV) quantum circuits. We show that the classical Fisher criterion is equivalent to maximizing the Hilbert–Schmidt distance in the quantum feature space induced by a quantum circuit. We further demonstrate that quasi-conformal kernel transformations admit a direct and natural implementation at the circuit level, realized by augmenting the original quantum circuit with additional modes. Using experimentally accessible optical circuits composed solely of displacement and squeezing operations, we numerically demonstrate that each method independently leads to a systematic enhancement of learning performance. Taken together, our theoretical and numerical results establish a concrete route for importing powerful classical kernel-learning strategies into quantum machine learning, and position CV quantum optics as a flexible and experimentally viable platform for adaptive, task-driven quantum kernel design.
Quantum processors may enhance machine learning by mapping high-dimensional data onto quantum systems for processing. Conventional feature maps, for encoding data onto a quantum circuit are currently impractical, as the number of entangling gates scales quadratically with the dimension of the dataset and the number of qubits. In this work, we introduce a quantum feature map designed to handle high-dimensional data with a significantly reduced number of qubits and entangling operations. Our approach preserves essential data characteristics while promoting computational efficiency, as evidenced by extensive experiments on benchmark datasets that demonstrate a marked improvement in both accuracy and resource utilization when using our feature map as a kernel for characterization, as compared to state-of-the-art quantum feature maps. Our noisy simulation results, combined with lower resource requirements, highlight our map's ability to function within the constraints of noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices. Through numerical simulations and small-scale implementation on a superconducting circuit quantum computing platform, we demonstrate that our scheme performs on par or better than a set of classical algorithms for classification. While quantum kernels are typically stymied by exponential concentration, our approach is affected with a slower rate with respect to both the number of qubits and features, which allows practical applications to remain within reach. Our findings herald a promising avenue for the practical implementation of quantum machine learning algorithms on near future quantum computing platforms.
Among various quantum machine learning (QML) algorithms, the quantum kernel method has especially attracted attention due to its compatibility with noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices and its potential to achieve quantum advantage. This method performs classification and regression by nonlinearly mapping data into quantum states in a higher-dimensional Hilbert space. Thus far, the quantum kernel method has been implemented only on qubit-based systems, but continuous-variable (CV) systems can potentially offer superior computational power by utilizing its infinite-dimensional Hilbert space. Here, we demonstrate the implementation of the classification task with the CV quantum kernel method on a programmable photonic quantum processor. We experimentally prove that the CV quantum kernel method successfully classifies several datasets robustly even under the experimental imperfections, with high accuracies comparable to the classical kernel. This demonstration sheds light on the utility of CV quantum systems for QML and should stimulate further study in other CV QML algorithms.
Abstract Quantum Machine Learning (QML) is an emerging field at the intersection of quantum computing and artificial intelligence, offering high potential for extracting complex nonlinear patterns from high-dimensional data. However, many quantum kernel-based methods suffer from high computational costs, the requirement for numerous quantum circuit executions, and the limitations of current Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) hardware. These challenges, particularly when dealing with large datasets, represent a major barrier to the widespread adoption of these methods in practical applications. In this paper, a hybrid quantum machine learning framework based on Nyström approximation is proposed to effectively reduce the computational complexity of quantum kernels and enhance their scalability. In the proposed framework, classical data is first mapped to the quantum Hilbert space via parameterized quantum circuits, and the quantum kernel is defined based on the overlap of quantum states. Then, utilizing the Nyström approximation technique, the full kernel calculation is restricted to a representative subset of data, and the final learning process is conducted in the classical space. This approach reduces computational complexity from O(N2) to O(Nm), where N is the number of samples and m is the size of the selected subset. Analytical results and simulations on the Breast Cancer Wisconsin dataset demonstrate that the proposed framework reduces computational costs by over 60% while maintaining the geometric structure of the quantum feature space, with a classification accuracy loss of less than 3%. These results suggest that the proposed method can serve as a practical, scalable, and noise-resilient solution for applying quantum machine learning to real-world data-driven problems.
Abstract Amidst the array of quantum machine learning algorithms, the quantum kernel method has emerged as a focal point, primarily owing to its compatibility with noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices and its promise to achieve quantum advantage. This method operates by nonlinearly transforming data into feature space constructed with quantum states, enabling classification and regression tasks. In this study, we present a novel feature space constructed using Kerr coherent states, which generalize su(2), su(1,1) coherent states, and squeezed states. Notably, the feature space exhibits constant curvature, comprising both spherical and hyperbolic geometries, depending on the sign of the Kerr parameter. Remarkably, the physical parameters associated with the coherent states, enable control over the curvature of the feature space. Our study employs Kerr kernels derived from encoding data into the phase and amplitude of Kerr coherent states. We analyze various datasets ranging from Moon to breast cancer diagnostics. Our findings demonstrate the robustness of Kerr coherent states, attributed to their flexibility in accommodating different hyperparameters, thereby offering superior performance across noisy datasets and hardware setups.