Quantum machine learning methods, including quantum kernels and variational quantum algorithms (VQAs), are poised to demonstrate quantum advantages in machine learning, chemistry, condensed matter physics, and materials science. However, these methods face critical challenges hindering practical quantum advantates: quantum kernels require meticulous design to outperform classical alternatives, while VQA training is obstructed by barren plateaus (BPs) in the optimization landscape. To address these issues, this thesis proposes two novel frameworks to guide quantum kernel design and tackle quantum neural network (QNN) training challenges in VQAs. Specifically, to resolve quantum kernel design challenges, we propose a data-driven method for automatic quantum kernel design, leveraging classical machine learning to learn from input data and identify optimal kernel structures. Experiments show this method finds suitable quantum kernels that avoid vanishing similarity, a common flaw in traditional designs. To improve VQA trainability, we propose an encoder-decoder parameter prediction framework, where a graph neural network (GNN) acts as the encoder to process information based on the QNN’s directed acyclic graph (DAG). Experiments confirm the parameters from this framework significantly enhance VQAs’ robustness, convergence speed, and trainability. In conclusion, we propose two schemes, QuKerNet and QuGHN, for automatic quantum kernel design and enhanced VQA trainability. QuKerNet considers optimal circuit layouts and variational parameters, and is more resource-efficient for contemporary quantum hardware by accounting for qubit topology and count. QuGHN is versatile, applicable to circuits with varying qubits, ansatzes, and tasks; its parameters enable faster convergence and more stable VQA solutions. These advancements enhance quantum machine learning practicality on near-term machines and its utility in large-scale quantum circuit simulations.
Quantum machine learning methods, including quantum kernels and variational quantum algorithms (VQAs), are poised to demonstrate quantum advantages in machine learning, chemistry, condensed matter physics, and materials science. However, these methods face critical challenges hindering practical quantum advantates: quantum kernels require meticulous design to outperform classical alternatives, while VQA training is obstructed by barren plateaus (BPs) in the optimization landscape. To address these issues, this thesis proposes two novel frameworks to guide quantum kernel design and tackle quantum neural network (QNN) training challenges in VQAs. Specifically, to resolve quantum kernel design challenges, we propose a data-driven method for automatic quantum kernel design, leveraging classical machine learning to learn from input data and identify optimal kernel structures. Experiments show this method finds suitable quantum kernels that avoid vanishing similarity, a common flaw in traditional designs. To improve VQA trainability, we propose an encoder-decoder parameter prediction framework, where a graph neural network (GNN) acts as the encoder to process information based on the QNN’s directed acyclic graph (DAG). Experiments confirm the parameters from this framework significantly enhance VQAs’ robustness, convergence speed, and trainability. In conclusion, we propose two schemes, QuKerNet and QuGHN, for automatic quantum kernel design and enhanced VQA trainability. QuKerNet considers optimal circuit layouts and variational parameters, and is more resource-efficient for contemporary quantum hardware by accounting for qubit topology and count. QuGHN is versatile, applicable to circuits with varying qubits, ansatzes, and tasks; its parameters enable faster convergence and more stable VQA solutions. These advancements enhance quantum machine learning practicality on near-term machines and its utility in large-scale quantum circuit simulations.
Quantum kernels hold significant promise for achieving computational advantages in quantum machine learning (QML), yet their effectiveness critically depends on the design of expressive and hardware-compatible feature maps, a challenge that is particularly pronounced in Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) devices with limited qubits, gate errors, and restricted connectivity. In this work, we propose a hardware-aware methodology for automated quantum kernel design that integrates quantum device characteristics with learning-based evaluation. Specifically, candidate quantum circuits explored within the hardware-aware circuit space are represented as directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) encoding hardware-specific information such as gate operations, qubit interactions, and noise properties, while a dual graph neural network (GNN) predictor is employed to estimate key surrogate metrics, including probability of successful trials (PST) and kernel-target alignment (KTA), enabling efficient and accurate assessment of circuit fidelity and kernel performance to facilitate the identification of task-specific quantum kernels. Furthermore, feature selection is incorporated to reduce input dimensionality and ensure compatibility with near-term devices. Extensive experiments on multiple benchmark datasets, including Credit Card (CC), MNIST-5, and FMNIST-4, demonstrate that our method consistently outperforms existing baselines in classification accuracy, effectively balancing hardware constraints and model expressivity under realistic noise conditions. These results highlight the potential of combining hardware-aware design with deep learning techniques to advance practical quantum kernel methods under hardware-calibrated noisy simulation settings.
This thesis investigates the interplay between machine learning (ML) and quantum mechanics to advance quantum machine learning (QML) and quantum calculations, addressing computational challenges in quantum machine learning, materials science, and condensed matter physics. The high dimensionality of quantum systems often renders traditional methods computationally intensive. By integrating classical and quantum ML techniques, innovative algorithms are developed to enhance efficiency and accuracy. The first part investigates the design and optimization of quantum circuit architectures for quantum machine learning, with a focus on quantum support vector machines (QSVM). I develop a Bayesian algorithm that adaptively constructs quantum kernels, achieving superior performance over classical kernels in small-data classification tasks. I also establish an isomorphism between quantum circuits and polyatomic molecules, which enables the restriction of the search space for compositional optimization of quantum circuits. Additionally, I introduce a flexible scheme that maps quantum circuits into graph representations compatible with the neutral atom quantum hardware. Using this circuit-graph mapping scheme, I develop a Gaussian process regression model with quantum evolution kernels and a classical graph neural network to interpolate QSVM accuracy on graph-structured data. The second part applies ML to accelerate quantum calculations. I develop a variational algorithm based on eigenvector continuation to compute ground state energies of particle-phonon systems. This algorithm constructs the lowest eigenvalue and eigenvector for extended lattices by solving eigenvalue problems for small, independent lattice segments, with a lower computational cost. This enables the application of variational quantum eigensolvers to particle-phonon interactions in large and disordered lattices, reducing the demands on quantum resources. I also developed Gaussian process models to accelerate Green’s function calculations for electron-phonon systems, achieving high accuracy by extrapolating from restricted Hilbert spaces to larger systems with lower computational cost. Ultimately, this thesis demonstrates that these advancements pave the way for applications, including the design of materials, enhanced drug discovery, and the development of scalable quantum computing technologies, thereby positioning the integration of ML and quantum physics as a promising approach for future scientific breakthroughs.
This thesis investigates the interplay between machine learning (ML) and quantum mechanics to advance quantum machine learning (QML) and quantum calculations, addressing computational challenges in quantum machine learning, materials science, and condensed matter physics. The high dimensionality of quantum systems often renders traditional methods computationally intensive. By integrating classical and quantum ML techniques, innovative algorithms are developed to enhance efficiency and accuracy. The first part investigates the design and optimization of quantum circuit architectures for quantum machine learning, with a focus on quantum support vector machines (QSVM). I develop a Bayesian algorithm that adaptively constructs quantum kernels, achieving superior performance over classical kernels in small-data classification tasks. I also establish an isomorphism between quantum circuits and polyatomic molecules, which enables the restriction of the search space for compositional optimization of quantum circuits. Additionally, I introduce a flexible scheme that maps quantum circuits into graph representations compatible with the neutral atom quantum hardware. Using this circuit-graph mapping scheme, I develop a Gaussian process regression model with quantum evolution kernels and a classical graph neural network to interpolate QSVM accuracy on graph-structured data. The second part applies ML to accelerate quantum calculations. I develop a variational algorithm based on eigenvector continuation to compute ground state energies of particle-phonon systems. This algorithm constructs the lowest eigenvalue and eigenvector for extended lattices by solving eigenvalue problems for small, independent lattice segments, with a lower computational cost. This enables the application of variational quantum eigensolvers to particle-phonon interactions in large and disordered lattices, reducing the demands on quantum resources. I also developed Gaussian process models to accelerate Green’s function calculations for electron-phonon systems, achieving high accuracy by extrapolating from restricted Hilbert spaces to larger systems with lower computational cost. Ultimately, this thesis demonstrates that these advancements pave the way for applications, including the design of materials, enhanced drug discovery, and the development of scalable quantum computing technologies, thereby positioning the integration of ML and quantum physics as a promising approach for future scientific breakthroughs.
Motivated by the anticipated advantage of quantum computing in complex tasks, quantum machine learning (QML) combines quantum principles with machine learning (ML) for potential speedups. This paper reviews recent progress in three main directions: (a) Variational Quantum Algorithms (VQAs), (b) Quantum Convolutional Neural Networks (QCNNs), and (c) quantum kernel methods. Key challenges are highlighted, including data encoding, hardware noise in the Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) regime, and the importance of standardized benchmarking. Promising strategies to address these challenges include hybrid quantum-classical integration, transfer learning, and algorithm-hardware co-design. Experimental demonstrations on platforms developed by IBM, Google, and IonQ illustrate the feasibility of QML on near-term quantum devices. Looking forward, advances in encoding schemes, noise-resilient circuit design, and domain-specific applications in chemistry, materials, and biomedicine are expected to further accelerate the practical development of QML.
Quantum kernel methods are a promising branch of quantum machine learning, but their per- formance across data types and encoding choices remains incompletely understood. To address this gap, we developed an algorithmic framework for variational quantum kernels utilizing resource- efficient ansätze for complex classification tasks and introduced a parameter scaling technique to accelerate convergence. We conducted a comprehensive benchmark of this framework on eight chal- lenging, real-world and high-dimensional datasets covering tabular, image, time series, and graph data. Our results show that the proposed quantum kernel demonstrated competitive classification accuracy compared to standard classical kernels in classical simulation, such as the radial basis function (RBF) kernel. This work demonstrates that properly designed quantum kernels can func- tion as versatile, high-performance tools, laying a foundation for quantum-enhanced applications in machine learning. Further research is needed to fully assess the practical performance of quantum methods.
The rapid advancements in quantum computing (QC) and machine learning (ML) have led to the emergence of quantum machine learning (QML), which integrates the strengths of both fields. Among QML approaches, variational quantum circuits (VQCs), also known as quantum neural networks (QNNs), have shown promise both empirically and theoretically. However, their broader adoption is hindered by reliance on quantum hardware during inference. Hardware imperfections and limited access to quantum devices pose practical challenges. To address this, the Quantum-Train (QT) framework leverages the exponential scaling of quantum amplitudes to generate classical neural network parameters, enabling inference without quantum hardware and achieving significant parameter compression. Yet, designing effective quantum circuit architectures for such quantum-enhanced neural programmers remains non-trivial and often requires expertise in quantum information science. In this paper, we propose an automated solution using differentiable optimization. Our method jointly optimizes both conventional circuit parameters and architectural parameters in an end-to-end manner via automatic differentiation. We evaluate the proposed framework on classification, time-series prediction, and reinforcement learning tasks. Simulation results show that our method matches or outperforms manually designed QNN architectures. This work offers a scalable and automated pathway for designing QNNs that can generate classical neural network parameters across diverse applications.