Quantum annealing is a form of quantum computing that exploits quantum effects to probabilistically solve a specific, NP-hard problem: finding the ground state of a classical, Ising-model Hamiltoni...
Quantum annealing is a form of quantum computing that exploits quantum effects to probabilistically solve a specific, NP-hard problem: finding the ground state of a classical, Ising-model Hamiltonian. Because physical quantum annealers are already available, there exists the pressing question of how to program such systems. That is, how can one map a computational problem into the coefficients of an Ising-model Hamiltonian for solution by quantum-annealing hardware? In this article, we address that question primarily from a practical standpoint. We survey extant software tools intended for programming D-wave annealing-based quantum processors and examine the programming model and solution technique promoted by each tool in an attempt to showcase the variety of contemporary approaches to solving computationally challenging problems on an existing annealing-based quantum computer.
With the slow progress of universal quantum computers, studies on the feasibility of optimization by a dedicated and quantum-annealing-based annealer are important. The quantum principle is expected to utilize the quantum tunneling effects to find the optimal solutions for the exponential-level problems while classical annealing may be affected by the initializations. This study constructs a new Quantum-Inspired Annealing (QIA) framework to explore the potentials of quantum annealing for solving Ising model with comparisons to the classical one. Through various configurations of the 1D Ising model, the new framework can achieve ground state, corresponding to the optimum of classical problems, with higher probability up to 28% versus classical counterpart (22% in case). This condition not only reveals the potential of quantum annealing for solving the Ising-like Hamiltonian, but also contributes to an improved understanding and use of the quantum annealer for various applications in the future.
Quantum annealing is a field of quantum computing to solve complex optimization problems. NP problems are hard to obtain the optimal result in polynomial time, and quantum annealing is able to fasten the process of computation. This article proceeds through a brief introduction to quantum annealing and then performs an experimental study on unconstrained binary optimization. Two mathematical models, namely, QUBO and Ising, are used for the design of the optimization to experiment with a quantum computer architecture named D-Wave. Ising model maps the problem statement for realization into a time-dependent Hamiltonian. The obtained results are finally analyzed and explained.
This study aims to evaluate the capabilities of state-of-the-art quantum computing applications, with a particular emphasis on their effectiveness in solving optimization problems. Specifically, it focuses on Quantum Annealing algorithms, examining their potential advantages and inherent limitations, reviews the capabilities of existing models, replicates proposed solutions for addressing NP-Hard problems, and systematically compares the results obtained with those produced by classical algorithms. Through this analysis, the study seeks to provide a rigorous assessment of the practical effectiveness of quantum annealing in optimization tasks and its viability as an alternative to classical computational methods in the near future.
Quantum computers use quantum resources to carry out computational tasks and may outperform classical computers in solving certain computational problems. Special-purpose quantum computers such as quantum annealers employ quantum adiabatic theorem to solve combinatorial optimization problems. In this paper, we compare classical annealings such as simulated annealing and quantum annealings that are done by the D-Wave machines both theoretically and numerically. We show that if the classical and quantum annealing are characterized by equivalent Ising models, then solving an optimization problem, i.e., finding the minimal energy of each Ising model, by the two annealing procedures, are mathematically identical. For quantum annealing, we also derive the probability lower-bound on successfully solving an optimization problem by measuring the system at the end of the annealing procedure. Moreover, we present the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method to realize quantum annealing by classical computers and investigate its statistical properties. In the numerical section, we discuss the discrepancies between the MCMC based annealing approaches and the quantum annealing approach in solving optimization problems.
This thesis studies several aspects of the quantum annealing (QA) computing approach. Quantum annealers' primary objective is to solve hard computational optimization problems. Because these optimization problems are in the NP-Hard complexity class, they are of great interest in several fields. One of the leading open questions concerning quantum annealers asks whether they will outperform other classical methods for solving these problems; Some aspects of this question are addressed in this thesis. The first part of the thesis investigates whether quantum annealing provides improved performance for solving a particular family of NP problems, called the Quadratic Knapsack Problem (QKP), using the D-Wave Quantum Annealer. The performance metrics used to assess QKP solving are the solution quality and the total runtime, and are benchmarked against other classical solvers. \n \nFurthermore, we extend our research on quantum annealers to propose two use cases for such systems. One is for Blockchain technology, and the second is in the area of quantum chaos. For the first use case of QA, an application for Blockchain's Proof of Work (PoW) is proposed, based on having hard optimization problems as an alternative to PoW hashing challenge, and using quantum annealers as solvers. For the second use case of QA, we propose simulating quantum chaos on the D-Wave Quantum Annealer to study the transition between the deep quantum realm and the classical limit in a chaotic system, and obtain insights into the “quantumness" of quantum annealers.