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

Workshop on Recent Advances in Photonics (WRAP)

Learning with Deep Photonic Neural Networks

Bhawani Shankar Leelar, E. S. Shivaleela, T. Srinivas

Published Dec 1, 2017• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are computational models used in Machine Learning (ML), based on a large collection of connected simple units called artificial neurons, loosely analogous to axons in a biological brain. Most of the Neural Networks (NNs) work in classical architecture and a few hardware implementations with optical components have been proposed, which facilitates real-time parallel processing of massive data sets. While these Optical Neural Networks (ONNs) are faster and comparable in efficiency with the classical NNs, they lack in scalability and flexibility. We have proposed a scalable and reconfigurable photonic lattice based NN, similar to feedforward neural network, where photonic lattice represents the layer of the network. The superposition property of quantum computations allows photons to process massive data sets faster than electronic circuits. We explicitly tried to exploit quantum coherence for learning. Hardware implementations put restrictions on the weight space of photon as negative weights are not possible, therefore we have modified the Backpropagation algorithm for optimizing the weights of the network to manipulate the quantum states. The proposed architecture is theoretically scalable as any number of photonic lattice can be included and provides a platform to get benefit of photonic lattices with different properties. It can be used in understanding the learning behaviour of NNs in a constrained environment.

DOI
10.1109/wrap.2017.8468594

Related papers

Reinforcement Learning with Deep Quantum Neural Networks

Wei Hu, James Lee Hu

The advantage of quantum computers over classical computers fuels the recent trend of developing machine learning algorithms on quantum computers, which can potentially lead to breakthroughs and new learning models in this area. The aim of our study is to explore deep quantum reinforcement learning (RL) on photonic quantum computers, which can process information stored in the quantum states of light. These quantum computers can naturally represent continuous variables, making them an ideal platform to create quantum versions of neural networks. Using quantum photonic circuits, we implement Q learning and actor-critic algorithms with multilayer quantum neural networks and test them in the grid world environment. Our experiments show that 1) these quantum algorithms can solve the RL problem and 2) compared to one layer, using three layer quantum networks improves the learning of both algorithms in terms of rewards collected. In summary, our findings suggest that having more layers in deep quantum RL can enhance the learning outcome.

Journal of Quantum Information Science•Jan 1, 2019•13 citations

Hardware-inspired Continuous Variables Quantum Optical Neural Networks

Todor Krasimirov-Ivanov, Alba Cervera-Lierta, Paolo Stornati +1 more

Continuous-variables (CV) quantum optics is a natural formalism for neural networks (NNs) due to its ability to reproduce the information processing of such trainable interconnected systems. In quantum optics, Gaussian operators induce affine mappings on the quadratures of optical modes while non-Gaussian resources (the challenging piece for physical implementation) originate the nonlinear effects, unlocking quantum analogs of an artificial neuron. This work presents a novel experimentally-feasible framework for continuous-variable quantum optical neural networks (QONNs) developed with available photonic components: coherent states as input encoding, a general Gaussian transformation followed by multi-mode photon subtractions as the processing layer, and homodyne detection as outputs readout. The closed-form expressions of such architecture are derived demonstrating the family of adaptive activations and the quantum-optical neurons that emerge from the amount of photon-subtracted modes, proving that the proposed design satisfies the Universal Approximation Theorem within a single layer. To classically simulate the QONN training, the high-performance QuaNNTO library has been developed based on Wick-Isserlis expansion and Bogoliubov transformations, allowing multi-layer exact expectation values of non-Gaussian states without truncating the infinite-dimensional Hilbert space. Experiments on supervised learning and state-preparation tasks show balanced-resource efficiency with strong expressivity and generalization capabilities, illustrating the potential of the architecture for scalable photonic quantum machine learning and for quantum applications such as complex non-Gaussian gate synthesis.

quant-pharXiv:2512.05204•Dec 8, 2025•0 citations

Machine Learning Algorithms Using Classical and Quantum Photonics

Bhawani Shankar Leelar

ABSTRACT In the modern day , we are witnessing two complementary trends, exponential growth in data and shrinking of chip size. The Data is approaching to 44 zettabytes by 2020 and the chips are now available with 10nm technology. The hyperconnectivity between machine-to-machine and humanto- machine creates multi-dimensional data which is more complex. Our thesis addresses the quantum meta layer abstraction which provides the interface to the Application layer to design quantum and classical algorithms. The first part of the thesis addresses the quantum algorithms and second part address classical algorithms running on top of quantum meta layer. In the first part of our thesis we explored quantum stochastic algorithm for ranking Quantum Webpages, analogous to the classical Google PageRank. The architecture is a six-waveguide photonic lattice that runs finely-tuned quantum stochastic walk. The evolution of density matrix solves the ranking of quantum webpages. We force the photon stochastic walk for quantum PageRank by matching the entries of Google matrix with parameters of the Kossakowski-Lindblad master equation. We have done extensive simulation to observe the density matrix evolution with different parameter settings. We have used noise in the Kossakowski-Lindblad master equation to break the symmetry (reciprocity) property of quantum system, which helps in distinguishable measurement of the quantum PageRank. We next propose a new quantum deep learning with photonic lattice waveguide as a feedforward neural network. The proposed deep photonic neural network uses the quantum properties for learning. The hidden layers of our deep photonic neural network can be designed to learn object representation and mentains the quantum quantum properties for longer time for optimal learning. The second part of the thesis discusses the data based learning. We have used data graph method which captures the system representation. The proposed data graph model captures and encodes the data efficiently and then the data graph is updated and trained with new data to provide efficient predictions. The model retains the previously learned knowledge by transfer learning and improves it with new training. The proposed method is highly adaptive and scalable for different real-time scenarios. Data graph models the system where every node (object) is associated with data and if two objects are related then they are linked with a data edge. The proposed algorithm is an incremental algorithm which learns hidden objects and hidden relationships through the data pattern over time and updates the model accordingly. We have used algebraic graph transformation methods to trigger the mutation of the Data Graph. This new updated Data Graph behaves differently for the data it observes. We explore more into machine learning algorithms and have proposed a complete framework to predict the state of the system based on the system parameters. We have proposed the discretization of the data points using the symbol algebra and used Bayesian machine…

•Apr 30, 2020•1 citation

Neural networks with quantum states of light

Adrià Labay-Mora, Jorge García‐Beni, Gian Luca Giorgi +2 more

Quantum optical networks are instrumental in addressing the fundamental questions and enable applications ranging from communication to computation and, more recently, machine learning (ML). In particular, photonic artificial neural networks (ANNs) offer the opportunity to exploit the advantages of both classical and quantum optics. Photonic neuro-inspired computation and ML have been successfully demonstrated in classical settings, while quantum optical networks have triggered breakthrough applications such as teleportation, quantum key distribution and quantum computing. We present a perspective on the state of the art in quantum optical ML and the potential advantages of ANNs in circuit designs and beyond, in more general, analogue settings characterized by recurrent and coherent complex interactions. We consider two analogue neuro-inspired applications, namely quantum reservoir computing and quantum associative memories, and discuss the enhanced capabilities offered by quantum substrates, highlighting the specific role of light squeezing in this context.This article is part of the theme issue 'The quantum theory of light'.

arXiv:2410.17702•Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences•Dec 24, 2024•1 citation

Training an Artificial Neural Network Using Qubits as Artificial Neurons: A Quantum Computing Approach

Avinash Chalumuri, Raghavendra Kune, B. S. B. S. Manoj

Artificial neural networks (ANN) proved to be efficient in solving many problems for big data analytics using machine learning. The complex and non-linear features of the input data can be learned and generalized by ANN. In the big data era, enormous amounts of data arrive from multiple sources. A stage is expected to be reached where even supercomputers are likely inundated with the big data. Training an ANN in such a situation is a challenging task due to the size and dimension of the big data. Also, a large number of parameters are to be used and optimized in the network to learn the patterns and analyze such data. Quantum computing is emerging as a field that provides a solution to this problem as a quantum computer can represent data differently using qubits. Qubits on quantum computers can be used to detect the hidden patterns in data that are difficult for a classical computer to find. Hence, there exists a huge scope for application in the area of artificial neural networks. In this work, we primarily focused on training an artificial neural network using qubits as artificial neurons. The simulation results show that our quantum computing approach for ANN (QC ANN) is efficient when compared to classical ANN. The model with qubits as artificial neurons can learn the features of data using fewer parameters for a binary classification task. We demonstrate our experiment using a quantum simulator and optimization of the quantum parameters used in QC ANN is carried out on a classical computer.

Procedia Computer Science•Jan 1, 2020•18 citations

Quantum optical neural networks using atom-cavity interactions to provide all-optical nonlinearity

Chuanzhou Zhu, Tianyu Wang, Peter L. McMahon +1 more

Optical neural networks (ONNs) have been developed to enhance processing speed and energy efficiency in machine learning by leveraging optical devices for nonlinear activation and establishing connections among neurons. In this work, we propose a quantum optical neural network (QONN) that utilizes atom-cavity neurons with controllable photon absorption and emission. These quantum neurons are designed to replace the electronic components in ONNs, which typically introduce delays and substantial energy consumption during nonlinear activation. To evaluate the performance of the QONN, we apply it to the MNIST digit classification task, considering the effects of photon absorption duration, random atom-cavity detuning, and stochastic photon loss. Additionally, we introduce a convolutional QONN to facilitate a real-world satellite image classification (SAT-6) task. Due to its compact hardware and low power consumption, the QONN offers a promising solution for real-time satellite sensing, reducing communication bandwidth with ground stations and thereby enhancing data security.

quant-pharXiv:2511.06167•Physica Scripta•Nov 11, 2025•0 citations
Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are computational models used in Machine Learning (ML), based on a large collection of connected simple units called artificial neurons, loosely analogous to axons in a biological brain. Most of the Neural Networks (NNs) work in classical architecture and a few hardware implementations with optical components have been proposed, which facilitates real-time parallel processing of massive data sets. While these Optical Neural Networks (ONNs) are faster and comparable in efficiency with the classical NNs, they lack in scalability and flexibility. We have proposed a scalable and reconfigurable photonic lattice based NN, similar to feedforward neural network, where photonic lattice represents the layer of the network. The superposition property of quantum computations allows photons to process massive data sets faster than electronic circuits. We explicitly tried to exploit quantum coherence for learning. Hardware implementations put restrictions on the weight space of photon as negative weights are not possible, therefore we have modified the Backpropagation algorithm for optimizing the weights of the network to manipulate the quantum states. The proposed architecture is theoretically scalable as any number of photonic lattice can be included and provides a platform to get benefit of photonic lattices with different properties. It can be used in understanding the learning behaviour of NNs in a constrained environment.
The advantage of quantum computers over classical computers fuels the recent trend of developing machine learning algorithms on quantum computers, which can potentially lead to breakthroughs and new learning models in this area. The aim of our study is to explore deep quantum reinforcement learning (RL) on photonic quantum computers, which can process information stored in the quantum states of light. These quantum computers can naturally represent continuous variables, making them an ideal platform to create quantum versions of neural networks. Using quantum photonic circuits, we implement Q learning and actor-critic algorithms with multilayer quantum neural networks and test them in the grid world environment. Our experiments show that 1) these quantum algorithms can solve the RL problem and 2) compared to one layer, using three layer quantum networks improves the learning of both algorithms in terms of rewards collected. In summary, our findings suggest that having more layers in deep quantum RL can enhance the learning outcome.
Continuous-variables (CV) quantum optics is a natural formalism for neural networks (NNs) due to its ability to reproduce the information processing of such trainable interconnected systems. In quantum optics, Gaussian operators induce affine mappings on the quadratures of optical modes while non-Gaussian resources (the challenging piece for physical implementation) originate the nonlinear effects, unlocking quantum analogs of an artificial neuron. This work presents a novel experimentally-feasible framework for continuous-variable quantum optical neural networks (QONNs) developed with available photonic components: coherent states as input encoding, a general Gaussian transformation followed by multi-mode photon subtractions as the processing layer, and homodyne detection as outputs readout. The closed-form expressions of such architecture are derived demonstrating the family of adaptive activations and the quantum-optical neurons that emerge from the amount of photon-subtracted modes, proving that the proposed design satisfies the Universal Approximation Theorem within a single layer. To classically simulate the QONN training, the high-performance QuaNNTO library has been developed based on Wick-Isserlis expansion and Bogoliubov transformations, allowing multi-layer exact expectation values of non-Gaussian states without truncating the infinite-dimensional Hilbert space. Experiments on supervised learning and state-preparation tasks show balanced-resource efficiency with strong expressivity and generalization capabilities, illustrating the potential of the architecture for scalable photonic quantum machine learning and for quantum applications such as complex non-Gaussian gate synthesis.
ABSTRACT In the modern day , we are witnessing two complementary trends, exponential growth in data and shrinking of chip size. The Data is approaching to 44 zettabytes by 2020 and the chips are now available with 10nm technology. The hyperconnectivity between machine-to-machine and humanto- machine creates multi-dimensional data which is more complex. Our thesis addresses the quantum meta layer abstraction which provides the interface to the Application layer to design quantum and classical algorithms. The first part of the thesis addresses the quantum algorithms and second part address classical algorithms running on top of quantum meta layer. In the first part of our thesis we explored quantum stochastic algorithm for ranking Quantum Webpages, analogous to the classical Google PageRank. The architecture is a six-waveguide photonic lattice that runs finely-tuned quantum stochastic walk. The evolution of density matrix solves the ranking of quantum webpages. We force the photon stochastic walk for quantum PageRank by matching the entries of Google matrix with parameters of the Kossakowski-Lindblad master equation. We have done extensive simulation to observe the density matrix evolution with different parameter settings. We have used noise in the Kossakowski-Lindblad master equation to break the symmetry (reciprocity) property of quantum system, which helps in distinguishable measurement of the quantum PageRank. We next propose a new quantum deep learning with photonic lattice waveguide as a feedforward neural network. The proposed deep photonic neural network uses the quantum properties for learning. The hidden layers of our deep photonic neural network can be designed to learn object representation and mentains the quantum quantum properties for longer time for optimal learning. The second part of the thesis discusses the data based learning. We have used data graph method which captures the system representation. The proposed data graph model captures and encodes the data efficiently and then the data graph is updated and trained with new data to provide efficient predictions. The model retains the previously learned knowledge by transfer learning and improves it with new training. The proposed method is highly adaptive and scalable for different real-time scenarios. Data graph models the system where every node (object) is associated with data and if two objects are related then they are linked with a data edge. The proposed algorithm is an incremental algorithm which learns hidden objects and hidden relationships through the data pattern over time and updates the model accordingly. We have used algebraic graph transformation methods to trigger the mutation of the Data Graph. This new updated Data Graph behaves differently for the data it observes. We explore more into machine learning algorithms and have proposed a complete framework to predict the state of the system based on the system parameters. We have proposed the discretization of the data points using the symbol algebra and used Bayesian machine…
Quantum optical networks are instrumental in addressing the fundamental questions and enable applications ranging from communication to computation and, more recently, machine learning (ML). In particular, photonic artificial neural networks (ANNs) offer the opportunity to exploit the advantages of both classical and quantum optics. Photonic neuro-inspired computation and ML have been successfully demonstrated in classical settings, while quantum optical networks have triggered breakthrough applications such as teleportation, quantum key distribution and quantum computing. We present a perspective on the state of the art in quantum optical ML and the potential advantages of ANNs in circuit designs and beyond, in more general, analogue settings characterized by recurrent and coherent complex interactions. We consider two analogue neuro-inspired applications, namely quantum reservoir computing and quantum associative memories, and discuss the enhanced capabilities offered by quantum substrates, highlighting the specific role of light squeezing in this context.This article is part of the theme issue 'The quantum theory of light'.
Artificial neural networks (ANN) proved to be efficient in solving many problems for big data analytics using machine learning. The complex and non-linear features of the input data can be learned and generalized by ANN. In the big data era, enormous amounts of data arrive from multiple sources. A stage is expected to be reached where even supercomputers are likely inundated with the big data. Training an ANN in such a situation is a challenging task due to the size and dimension of the big data. Also, a large number of parameters are to be used and optimized in the network to learn the patterns and analyze such data. Quantum computing is emerging as a field that provides a solution to this problem as a quantum computer can represent data differently using qubits. Qubits on quantum computers can be used to detect the hidden patterns in data that are difficult for a classical computer to find. Hence, there exists a huge scope for application in the area of artificial neural networks. In this work, we primarily focused on training an artificial neural network using qubits as artificial neurons. The simulation results show that our quantum computing approach for ANN (QC ANN) is efficient when compared to classical ANN. The model with qubits as artificial neurons can learn the features of data using fewer parameters for a binary classification task. We demonstrate our experiment using a quantum simulator and optimization of the quantum parameters used in QC ANN is carried out on a classical computer.
Optical neural networks (ONNs) have been developed to enhance processing speed and energy efficiency in machine learning by leveraging optical devices for nonlinear activation and establishing connections among neurons. In this work, we propose a quantum optical neural network (QONN) that utilizes atom-cavity neurons with controllable photon absorption and emission. These quantum neurons are designed to replace the electronic components in ONNs, which typically introduce delays and substantial energy consumption during nonlinear activation. To evaluate the performance of the QONN, we apply it to the MNIST digit classification task, considering the effects of photon absorption duration, random atom-cavity detuning, and stochastic photon loss. Additionally, we introduce a convolutional QONN to facilitate a real-world satellite image classification (SAT-6) task. Due to its compact hardware and low power consumption, the QONN offers a promising solution for real-time satellite sensing, reducing communication bandwidth with ground stations and thereby enhancing data security.