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arXiv:2405.00014 · Physics Education

Explaining Grover’s algorithm with a colony of ants: a pedagogical model for making quantum technology comprehensible

Merel A. Schalkers, Kamiel Dankers, Michael Wimmer, Pieter E. Vermaas

Published Mar 6, 2024• 7 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract The rapid growth of quantum technologies requires an increasing number of physicists, computer scientists, and engineers who can work on these technologies. For educating these professionals, quantum mechanics should stop being perceived as incomprehensible. In this paper we contribute to this change by presenting a pedagogical model for explaining Grover’s search algorithm, a prominent quantum algorithm. This model visualizes the three main steps of Grover’s algorithm and, in addition to explaining the algorithm itself, introduces three key principles of quantum mechanics: superposition, interference, and state collapse at measurement. The pedagogical model, visualized by a video, is called the ant colony maze model. It represents the search problems as finding the exit of a maze, and visualizes Grover’s search algorithm as a strategy by which a colony of ants finds that exit.

DOI
10.1088/1361-6552/ad2976

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Abstract The rapid growth of quantum technologies requires an increasing number of physicists, computer scientists, and engineers who can work on these technologies. For educating these professionals, quantum mechanics should stop being perceived as incomprehensible. In this paper we contribute to this change by presenting a pedagogical model for explaining Grover’s search algorithm, a prominent quantum algorithm. This model visualizes the three main steps of Grover’s algorithm and, in addition to explaining the algorithm itself, introduces three key principles of quantum mechanics: superposition, interference, and state collapse at measurement. The pedagogical model, visualized by a video, is called the ant colony maze model. It represents the search problems as finding the exit of a maze, and visualizes Grover’s search algorithm as a strategy by which a colony of ants finds that exit.
Abstract—Quantum mechanical computers unlike classical computers can be in a superposition of states and carry out multiple operations at the same time. Grover has shown that a quantum computer can do a random database search in O ( √ N) steps. He has further proved that using the superposition of the states in quantum computing, a quantum computer should be able to do a search in a single step. He has stated that the query generated to do this search will require Ω(NlogN) steps. In this paper we aim at optimizing the Grover’s search algorithm. In our algorithm, we have repeated the inversion step a number of times instead of stopping after a single step. Measurement after a single step required a larger number of subsystems which impaired the effectiveness of the algorithm leading to Ω(NlogN) steps in the preparation and processing of the query. Repetition of the inversion step brought the the number of subsystems down drastically by increasing the amplitude of the desired state.We have proved that by doing so the overall effectiveness of Grover’s algorithm can be brought down to Ω ( 3 √ N). Keywords: Quantum mechanical computers, Grover’s search algorithm, inversion step, probability and amplitude.
[EN] I propose an improved algorithm that can be implemented on a real quantum computer with a new guided exploration strategy. The benchmarks made by simulating the quantum circuit shows that the time to solve a problem using QACO could outperform greatly other classical bio-inspired algorithms, in particular the one QACO is based on, the Ant Colony Optimization. Quantum computation is on the verge of becoming the new technology for solving time- and energy-consuming problems. To make use of the full potential of quantum computers one must implement algorithms that are significantly different from the ones used on digital computers. This work serves as an introduction to both quantum computing and algorithms. Starting from the basis of the quantum physics, I expose each of the steps needed to understand the mathematics beneath this topic. Using this basis, I develope one quantum algorithm from scratch. Based on a previously proposed Quantum Ant Colony Optimization (QACO) algorithm, I propose an improved algorithm that can be implemented on a real quantum computer with a new guided exploration strategy. The benchmarks made by simulating the quantum circuit shows that the time to solve a problem using QACO could outperform greatly other classical bio-inspired algorithms, in particular the one QACO is based on, the Ant Colony Optimization.
Aiming at the shortcoming of optimization problems in continuous space based on ant colony optimization which is easy to fall into local optimums and has a slow convergence rate,a novel quantum ant colony optimization algorithm is presented.In this algorithm,each ant position is represented by a group of quantum bits;a new quantum rotation gates are designed to update the position of the ant so as to enable the ant to move.Some quantum bits are mutated by quantum non-gate so as to increase the variety of ant positions.It not only proves the convergence of the proposed algorithms through theoretical analysis,but also demonstrates that the algorithm can double searching space,maintain better population diversity,rapider convergence speed and global optimal ability than the classical ant colony algorithm by simulation experiments.
In the sub-field of quantum algorithms, physicists and computer scientist take classical computing algorithms and principles and see if there is a more efficient or faster approach implementable on a quantum computer, i.e. a ”quantum advantage”. We take random walks, a widely applicable group of classical algorithms, and move them into the quantum computing paradigm. Additionally, an introduction to a popular quantum search algorithm called Grover’s search is included to guide the reader to the development of a quantum search algorithm using quantum random walks. To close the gap between algorithm and hardware, we will look at using neutral-atom (also known as cold-atom) quantum computing to physically implement two types of quantum random walks and Grover’s algorithm.
Aiming at the shortcoming of ant colony optimization of being only suitable for discrete problems and holding a slow convergence speed, a novel algorithm for continuous optimization problems is presented. In this algorithm, each ant carries a group of qubits which represents the position of its own. First, the destination to which ant want to move is selected according to the select probability based on pheromone information and heuristic information. Then, the ant's own qubits are updated by quantum rotation gates so as to move. Some ants' qubits are mutated by quantum non-gate so as to increase the diversity of positions. Finally, both information of the pheromone and the heuristic are updated according to the new position of each ant. In this algorithm, both probability amplitudes of a qubit are regarded as position information, a double searching efficiency is acquired for ant colony which hold the fixed number of ants. The availability of the proposed algorithm is illustrated by simulation examples of function extremum optimization.
Based on the combination of the quantum theory and ant colony optimization,a novel algorithm,the quantum ant colony algorithm,was proposed.Ants's positions were represented by a group of quantum bits and the quantum rotation gates were designed to update the ants' positions for enabling the ants' movements.The classical TSP was successfully solved by using the quantum ant colony algorithm,taking series of typical instances as the examples.The computational results show the effectiveness and robustness of the algorithm in numerical simulations.The algorithm can find the satisfactory solutions with a small size of populations and minimal relative error.