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Variational quantum computing offers a flexible computational paradigm with applications in diverse areas. However, a key obstacle to realizing their potential is the Barren Plateau (BP) phenomenon. When a model exhibits a BP, its parameter optimization landscape becomes exponentially flat and featureless as the problem size increases. Importantly, all the moving pieces of an algorithm -- choices of ansatz, initial state, observable, loss function and hardware noise -- can lead to BPs when ill-suited. Due to the significant impact of BPs on trainability, researchers have dedicated considerable effort to develop theoretical and heuristic methods to understand and mitigate their effects. As a result, the study of BPs has become a thriving area of research, influencing and cross-fertilizing other fields such as quantum optimal control, tensor networks, and learning theory. This article provides a comprehensive review of the current understanding of the BP phenomenon., Comment: 21 pages, 10 boxes

We present Noise-Directed Adaptive Remapping (NDAR), a heuristic algorithm for approximately solving binary optimization problems by leveraging certain types of noise. We consider access to a noisy quantum processor with dynamics that features a global attractor state. In a standard setting, such noise can be detrimental to the quantum optimization performance. Our algorithm bootstraps the noise attractor state by iteratively gauge-transforming the cost-function Hamiltonian in a way that transforms the noise attractor into higher-quality solutions. The transformation effectively changes the attractor into a higher-quality solution of the Hamiltonian based on the results of the previous step. The end result is that noise aids variational optimization, as opposed to hindering it. We present an improved Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) runs in experiments on Rigetti's quantum device. We report approximation ratios $0.9$-$0.96$ for random, fully connected graphs on $n=82$ qubits, using only depth $p=1$ QAOA with NDAR. This compares to $0.34$-$0.51$ for standard $p=1$ QAOA with the same number of function calls., Comment: 7+7 pages; 3+2 figures; comments and suggestions are welcome!; v2: updated references, fixed typos, improved narration

The construction of quantum circuits to simulate Hamiltonian evolution is central to many quantum algorithms. State-of-the-art circuits are based on oracles whose implementation is often omitted, and the complexity of the algorithm is estimated by counting oracle queries. However, in practical applications, an oracle implementation contributes a large constant factor to the overall complexity of the algorithm. The key finding of this work is the efficient procedure for representation of a tridiagonal matrix in the Pauli basis, which allows one to construct a Hamiltonian evolution circuit without the use of oracles. The procedure represents a general tridiagonal matrix $2^n \times 2^n$ by systematically determining all Pauli strings present in the decomposition, dividing them into commuting subsets. The efficiency is in the number of commuting subsets $O(n)$. The method is demonstrated using the one-dimensional wave equation, verifying numerically that the gate complexity as function of the number of qubits is lower than the oracle based approach for $n < 15$ and requires half the number of qubits. This method is applicable to other Hamiltonians based on the tridiagonal matrices.

Variational quantum algorithms have emerged as a cornerstone of contemporary quantum algorithms research. Practical implementations of these algorithms, despite offering certain levels of robustness against systematic errors, show a decline in performance due to the presence of stochastic errors and limited coherence time. In this work, we develop a recipe for mitigating quantum gate errors for variational algorithms using zero-noise extrapolation. We introduce an experimentally amenable method to control error strength in the circuit. We utilize the fact that gate errors in a physical quantum device are distributed inhomogeneously over different qubits and qubit pairs. As a result, one can achieve different circuit error sums based on the manner in which abstract qubits in the circuit are mapped to a physical device. We find that the estimated energy in the variational approach is approximately linear with respect to the circuit error sum (CES). Consequently, a linear fit through the energy-CES data, when extrapolated to zero CES, can approximate the energy estimated by a noiseless variational algorithm. We demonstrate this numerically and investigate the applicability range of the technique.

This work is devoted to the study Translation-Invariant (TI) Matrix Product State (MPS) representations of quantum states with periodic boundary conditions (PBC). We pursue two directions: we introduce new methods for constructing TI MPS representations of a certain class of TI states and study their optimality in terms of their bond dimension. We pay particular attention to the $n$-party $W$-state and construct a TI MPS representation of bond dimension $\left \lfloor \dfrac{n}{2} \right \rfloor +1$ for it. We further study properties of this class and show that we can can always achieve a bond dimension of $n$ for TI MPS representation of states in this class. In the framework of studying optimality of TI MPS representations with PBC, we study the optimal bond dimension $d(\psi)$ for a given state $\psi$. In particular we introduce a deterministic algorithm for the search of $d(\psi)$ for an arbitary state. Using numerical methods, we verify the optimality of our previous construction for the $n$-party $W$-state for small $n$.

In 2008 Coecke and Duncan proposed the graphical ZX-calculus rewrite system which came to formalize reasoning with quantum circuits, measurements and quantum states. The ZX-calculus is sound for qubit quantum mechanics. Hence, equality of diagrams under ZX-equivalent transformations lifts to an equality of corresponding equations over matrices. Conversely, in 2014 Backens proved completeness, establishing that any derivation done in stabilizer quantum mechanics with matrices can be derived graphically using the ZX-calculus. A graphical rewrite system that is both confluent and also terminates uniquely is called canonical: Applying alternate sequences of rewrites to the same initial diagram, a rewrite system is confluent whenever all resulting diagrams can be manipulated to establish graphical equivalence. Here we show that a reduced ZX-rewrite system is already confluent in the Heisenberg picture for stabilizer quantum mechanics. Moreover, any application of a subset of ZX-rewrites terminates uniquely and irrespective of the order of term rewrites in the Heisenberg picture for stabilizer quantum mechanics. The ZX-system is hence Heisenberg-canonical for stabiliser quantum mechanics. For a stabilizer circuit on $n$-qubits with $l$ single-qubit gates and $g$ two-qubit gates, the circuit output can be derived graphically in the Heisenberg picture using no more than $(\frac{1}{2}\cdot g+l)\cdot n$ graphical rewrites, thereby providing a graphical proof of the Gottesman-Knill theorem. Finally, we establish that each stabilizer state described by a Clifford circuit gives rise to a non-negative parent Hamiltonian with $n+1$ terms and a one-dimensional kernel spanned by the corresponding stabilizer state. Such parent Hamiltonians can be derived with $\mathcal{O}(t\cdot n)$ graphical rewrites for a low energy state prepared by a $t$-gate Clifford circuit., Comment: 27 pages; pre-submission draft

Variational quantum algorithms are tailored to perform within the constraints of current quantum devices, yet they are limited by performance-degrading errors. In this study, we consider a noise model that reflects realistic gate errors inherent to variational quantum algorithms. We investigate the decoherence of a variationally prepared quantum state due to this noise model, which causes a deviation from the energy estimation in the variational approach. By performing a perturbative analysis of optimized circuits, we determine the noise threshold at which the criteria set by the stability lemma is met. We assess our findings against the variational quantum eigensolver and quantum approximate optimization algorithm for various problems with up to 14 qubits. Moreover, we show that certain gate errors have a significantly smaller impact on the coherence of the state, allowing us to reduce the execution time without compromising performance., Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, published version

A symmetric pseudo-Boolean function is a map from Boolean tuples to real numbers which is invariant under input variable interchange. We prove that any such function can be equivalently expressed as a power series or factorized. The kernel of a pseudo-Boolean function is the set of all inputs that cause the function to vanish identically. Any $n$-variable symmetric pseudo-Boolean function $f(x_1, x_2, \dots, x_n)$ has a kernel corresponding to at least one $n$-affine hyperplane, each hyperplane is given by a constraint $\sum_{l=1}^n x_l = \lambda$ for $\lambda\in \mathbb{C}$ constant. We use these results to analyze symmetric pseudo-Boolean functions appearing in the literature of spin glass energy functions (Ising models), quantum information and tensor networks., Comment: 10 pages

We argue that quantum computing underwent an inflection point circa 2017. Long promised funding materialised which prompted public and private investments around the world. Techniques from machine learning suddenly influenced central aspects of the field. On one hand, machine learning was used to emulate quantum systems. On the other hand, quantum algorithms became viewed as a new type of machine learning model (creating the new model of {\it variational} quantum computation). Here we sketch some milestones which have lead to this inflection point. We argue that the next inflection point would occur around when practical problems will be first solved by quantum computers. We anticipate that by 2050 this would have become commonplace, were the world would still be adjusting to the possibilities brought by quantum computers., Comment: to appear, Book Chapter in EPS Grand Challenges Physics for Society in the Horizon 2050, Institute of Physics Publishing, London, United Kingdom

A tensor network is a type of decomposition used to express and approximate large arrays of data. A given data-set, quantum state or higher dimensional multi-linear map is factored and approximated by a composition of smaller multi-linear maps. This is reminiscent to how a Boolean function might be decomposed into a gate array: this represents a special case of tensor decomposition, in which the tensor entries are replaced by 0, 1 and the factorisation becomes exact. The collection of associated techniques are called, tensor network methods: the subject developed independently in several distinct fields of study, which have more recently become interrelated through the language of tensor networks. The tantamount questions in the field relate to expressability of tensor networks and the reduction of computational overheads. A merger of tensor networks with machine learning is natural. On the one hand, machine learning can aid in determining a factorization of a tensor network approximating a data set. On the other hand, a given tensor network structure can be viewed as a machine learning model. Herein the tensor network parameters are adjusted to learn or classify a data-set. In this survey we recover the basics of tensor networks and explain the ongoing effort to develop the theory of tensor networks in machine learning., Comment: 7 pages

Variational quantum algorithms involve training parameterized quantum circuits using a classical co-processor. An important variational algorithm, designed for combinatorial optimization, is the quantum approximate optimization algorithm. Realization of this algorithm on any modern quantum processor requires either embedding a problem instance into a Hamiltonian or emulating the corresponding propagator by a gate sequence. For a vast range of problem instances this is impossible due to current circuit depth and hardware limitations. Hence we adapt the variational approach -- using ion native Hamiltonians -- to create ansatze families that can prepare the ground states of more general problem Hamiltonians. We analytically determine symmetry protected classes that make certain problem instances inaccessible unless this symmetry is broken. We exhaustively search over six qubits and consider upto twenty circuit layers, demonstrating that symmetry can be broken to solve all problem instances of the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick Hamiltonian. Going further, we numerically demonstrate training convergence and level-wise improvement for up to twenty qubits. Specifically these findings widen the class problem instances which might be solved by ion based quantum processors. Generally these results serve as a test-bed for quantum approximate optimization approaches based on system native Hamiltonians and symmetry protection., Comment: 9 pages; 5 figures; REVTeX

In the problem of quantum channel discrimination, one distinguishes between a given number of quantum channels, which is done by sending an input state through a channel and measuring the output state. This work studies applications of variational quantum circuits and machine learning techniques for discriminating such channels. In particular, we explore (i) the practical implementation of embedding this task into the framework of variational quantum computing, (ii) training a quantum classifier based on variational quantum circuits, and (iii) applying the quantum kernel estimation technique. For testing these three channel discrimination approaches, we considered a pair of entanglement-breaking channels and the depolarizing channel with two different depolarization factors. For the approach (i), we address solving the quantum channel discrimination problem using widely discussed parallel and sequential strategies. We show the advantage of the latter in terms of better convergence with less quantum resources. Quantum channel discrimination with a variational quantum classifier (ii) allows one to operate even with random and mixed input states and simple variational circuits. The kernel-based classification approach (iii) is also found effective as it allows one to discriminate depolarizing channels associated not with just fixed values of the depolarization factor, but with ranges of it. Additionally, we discovered that a simple modification of one of the commonly used kernels significantly increases the efficiency of this approach. Finally, our numerical findings reveal that the performance of variational methods of channel discrimination depends on the trace of the product of the output states. These findings demonstrate that quantum machine learning can be used to discriminate channels, such as those representing physical noise processes., Comment: 18 pages; 14 figures; RevTeX

Variational quantum algorithms are the centerpiece of modern quantum programming. These algorithms involve training parameterized quantum circuits using a classical co-processor, an approach adapted partly from classical machine learning. An important subclass of these algorithms, designed for combinatorial optimization on currrent quantum hardware, is the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA). It is known that problem density - a problem constraint to variable ratio - induces under-parametrization in fixed depth QAOA. Density dependent performance has been reported in the literature, yet the circuit depth required to achieve fixed performance (henceforth called critical depth) remained unknown. Here, we propose a predictive model, based on a logistic saturation conjecture for critical depth scaling with respect to density. Focusing on random instances of MAX-2-SAT, we test our predictive model against simulated data with up to 15 qubits. We report the average critical depth, required to attain a success probability of 0.7, saturates at a value of 10 for densities beyond 4. We observe the predictive model to describe the simulated data within a $3\sigma$ confidence interval. Furthermore, based on the model, a linear trend for the critical depth with respect problem size is recovered for the range of 5 to 15 qubits., Comment: REVTeX, 6+2 pages, 4 figures

Quantum computing promises to enhance machine learning and artificial intelligence. Different quantum algorithms have been proposed to improve a wide spectrum of machine learning tasks. Yet, recent theoretical works show that, similar to traditional classifiers based on deep classical neural networks, quantum classifiers would suffer from the vulnerability problem: adding tiny carefully-crafted perturbations to the legitimate original data samples would facilitate incorrect predictions at a notably high confidence level. This will pose serious problems for future quantum machine learning applications in safety and security-critical scenarios. Here, we report the first experimental demonstration of quantum adversarial learning with programmable superconducting qubits. We train quantum classifiers, which are built upon variational quantum circuits consisting of ten transmon qubits featuring average lifetimes of 150 $\mu$s, and average fidelities of simultaneous single- and two-qubit gates above 99.94% and 99.4% respectively, with both real-life images (e.g., medical magnetic resonance imaging scans) and quantum data. We demonstrate that these well-trained classifiers (with testing accuracy up to 99%) can be practically deceived by small adversarial perturbations, whereas an adversarial training process would significantly enhance their robustness to such perturbations. Our results reveal experimentally a crucial vulnerability aspect of quantum learning systems under adversarial scenarios and demonstrate an effective defense strategy against adversarial attacks, which provide a valuable guide for quantum artificial intelligence applications with both near-term and future quantum devices., Comment: 26 pages, 17 figures, 8 algorithms

The Quantum Approximate Optimisation Algorithm is a $p$ layer, time-variable split operator method executed on a quantum processor and driven to convergence by classical outer loop optimisation. The classical co-processor varies individual application times of a problem/driver propagator sequence to prepare a state which approximately minimizes the problem's generator. Analytical solutions to choose optimal application times (called angles) have proven difficult to find, whereas outer loop optimisation is resource intensive. Here we prove that optimal Quantum Approximate Optimisation Algorithm parameters for $p=1$ layer reduce to one free variable and in the thermodynamic limit, we recover optimal angles. We moreover demonstrate that conditions for vanishing gradients of the overlap function share a similar form which leads to a linear relation between circuit parameters, independent on the number of qubits. Finally, we present a list of numerical effects, observed for particular system size and circuit depth, which are yet to be explained analytically., Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure

Quantum Approximate Optimisation (QAOA) is the most studied gate based variational quantum algorithm today. We train QAOA one layer at a time to maximize overlap with an $n$ qubit target state. Doing so we discovered that such training always saturates -- called \textit{training saturation} -- at some depth $p^*$, meaning that past a certain depth, overlap can not be improved by adding subsequent layers. We formulate necessary conditions for saturation. Numerically, we find layerwise QAOA reaches its maximum overlap at depth $p^*=n$. The addition of coherent dephasing errors to training removes saturation, recovering robustness to layerwise training. This study sheds new light on the performance limitations and prospects of QAOA., Comment: 7 pages; RevTEX

Implementing variational quantum algorithms with noisy intermediate-scale quantum machines of up to a hundred qubits is nowadays considered as one of the most promising routes towards achieving a quantum practical advantage. In multiqubit circuits, running advanced quantum algorithms is hampered by the noise inherent to quantum gates which distances us from the idea of universal quantum computing. Based on a one-dimensional quantum spin chain with competing symmetric and asymmetric pairwise exchange interactions, herein we discuss the capabilities of quantum algorithms with special attention paid to a hardware-efficient variational eigensolver. A delicate interplay between magnetic interactions allows one to stabilize a chiral state that destroys the homogeneity of magnetic ordering, thus making this solution highly entangled. Quantifying entanglement in terms of quantum concurrence, we argue that, while being capable of correctly reproducing a uniform magnetic configuration, the hardware-efficient ansatz meets difficulties in providing a detailed description to a noncollinear magnetic structure. The latter naturally limits the application range of variational quantum computing to solve quantum simulation tasks., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, Supplemental Material

The quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) has become a cornerstone of contemporary quantum applications development. In QAOA, a quantum circuit is trained -- by repeatedly adjusting circuit parameters -- to solve a problem. Several recent findings have reported parameter concentration effects in QAOA and their presence has become one of folklore: while empirically observed, the concentrations have not been defined and analytical approaches remain scarce, focusing on limiting system and not considering parameter scaling as system size increases. We found that optimal QAOA circuit parameters concentrate as an inverse polynomial in the problem size, providing an optimistic result for improving circuit training. Our results are analytically demonstrated for variational state preparations at $p=1,2$ (corresponding to 2 and 4 tunable parameters respectively). The technique is also applicable for higher depths and the concentration effect is cross verified numerically. Parameter concentrations allow for training on a fraction $w < n$ of qubits to assert that these parameters are nearly optimal on $n$ qubits. Clearly this effect has significant practical importance., Comment: 7 pages; 4 figures, REVTeX

Variational quantum algorithms rely on gradient based optimization to iteratively minimize a cost function evaluated by measuring output(s) of a quantum processor. A barren plateau is the phenomenon of exponentially vanishing gradients in sufficiently expressive parametrized quantum circuits. It has been established that the onset of a barren plateau regime depends on the cost function, although the particular behavior has been demonstrated only for certain classes of cost functions. Here we derive a lower bound on the variance of the gradient, which depends mainly on the width of the circuit causal cone of each term in the Pauli decomposition of the cost function. Our result further clarifies the conditions under which barren plateaus can occur., Comment: 26 pages, RevTeX

Variational quantum algorithms dominate gate-based applications of modern quantum processors. The so called, {\it layer-wise trainability conjecture} appears in various works throughout the variational quantum computing literature. The conjecture asserts that a quantum circuit can be trained piece-wise, e.g.~that a few layers can be trained in sequence to minimize an objective function. Here we prove this conjecture false. Counterexamples are found by considering objective functions that are exponentially close (in the number of qubits) to the identity matrix. In the finite setting, we found abrupt transitions in the ability of quantum circuits to be trained to minimize these objective functions. Specifically, we found that below a critical (target gate dependent) threshold, circuit training terminates close to the identity and remains near to the identity for subsequently added blocks trained piece-wise. A critical layer depth will abruptly train arbitrarily close to the target, thereby minimizing the objective function. These findings shed new light on the divide-and-conquer trainability of variational quantum circuits and apply to a wide collection of contemporary literature., Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, RevTeX

Determining properties of ground states of spin Hamiltonians remains a topic of central relevance connecting disciplines of mathematical, theoretical and applied physics. In the last few decades, ground state properties of physical systems have been increasingly considered as computational resources. This thesis develops parts of the mathematical apparatus to create (program) ground states relevant for quantum and classical computation. The core findings presented in this thesis (now over a decade old) including that (i) logic operations (gates) can be embedded into the low-energy sector of Ising spins whereas three (and higher) body Ising interaction terms can be mimicked through the minimisation of 2- and 1-body Ising terms yet require the introduction of slack spins; (ii) Perturbation theory gadgets enable the emulation of interactions not present in a given Hamiltonian, e.g.~$YY$ interactions can be realized from $ZZ$, $XX$, the thesis contains a result from 2007 showing that physically relevant two-body model Hamiltonian's have a QMA-hard ground state energy decision problem. Merged with other results, this established that these models provide a universal resource for ground state quantum computation. More recent findings include the proof that an idealised version of the contemporary variational approach to quantum algorithms enables a universal model of quantum computation. Other related results are also presented as they relate to ground state quantum computation and the minimisation of Hamiltonians by quantum circuits. The topics covered include: Ising model reductions, stochastic versus quantum processes on graphs, quantum gates and circuits as tensor networks, variational quantum algorithms and Hamiltonian gadgets., Comment: 241 pages, Dissertation draft submitted for the degree of Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences

The numerical emulation of quantum physics and quantum chemistry often involves an intractable number of degrees of freedom and admits no known approximation in general form. In practice, representing quantum-mechanical states using available numerical methods becomes exponentially more challenging with increasing system size. Recently quantum algorithms implemented as variational models, have been proposed to accelerate such simulations. Here we study the effect of noise on the quantum phase transition in the Schwinger model, within a variational framework. The experiments are built using a free space optical scheme to realize a pair of polarization qubits and enable any two-qubit state to be experimentally prepared up to machine tolerance. We specifically exploit the possibility to engineer noise and decoherence for polarization qubits to explore the limits of variational algorithms for NISQ architectures in identifying and quantifying quantum phase transitions with noisy qubits. We find that despite the presence of noise one can detect the phase transition of the Schwinger Hamiltonian even for a two-qubit system using variational quantum algorithms., Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures

While there are various approaches to benchmark physical processors, recent findings have focused on computational phase transitions. This is due to several factors. Importantly, the hardest instances appear to be well-concentrated in a narrow region, with a control parameter allowing uniform random distributions of problem instances with similar computational challenge. It has been established that one could observe a computational phase transition in a distribution produced from coherent Ising machine(s). In terms of quantum approximate optimisation, the ability for the quantum algorithm to function depends critically on the ratio of a problems constraint to variable ratio (called density). The critical density dependence on performance resulted in what was called, reachability deficits. In this perspective we recall the background needed to understand how to apply computational phase transitions in various bench-marking tasks and we survey several such contemporary findings., Comment: 11 pages, 2+1 figures, JPhys Complexity (invited perspective)

Complex systems are large collections of entities that organize themselves into non-trivial structures that can be represented by networks. A key emergent property of such systems is robustness against random failures or targeted attacks ---i.e. the capacity of a network to maintain its integrity under removal of nodes or links. Here, we introduce network entanglement to study network robustness through a multi-scale lens, encoded by the time required to diffuse information through the system. Our measure's foundation lies upon a recently proposed framework, manifestly inspired by quantum statistical physics, where networks are interpreted as collections of entangled units and can be characterized by Gibbsian-like density matrices. We show that at the smallest temporal scales entanglement reduces to node degree, whereas at the large scale we show its ability to measure the role played by each node in network integrity. At the meso-scale, entanglement incorporates information beyond the structure, such as system's transport properties. As an application, we show that network dismantling of empirical social, biological and transportation systems unveils the existence of a optimal temporal scale driving the network to disintegration. Our results open the door for novel multi-scale analysis of network contraction process and its impact on dynamical processes., Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures

The quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) has become a cornerstone of contemporary quantum applications development. Here we show that the \emph{density} of problem constraints versus problem variables acts as a performance indicator. Density is found to correlate strongly with approximation inefficiency for fixed depth QAOA applied to random graph minimization problem instances. Further, the required depth for accurate QAOA solution to graph problem instances scales critically with density. Motivated by Google's recent experimental realization of QAOA, we preform a reanalysis of the reported data reproduced in an ideal noiseless setting. We found that the reported capabilities of instances addressed experimentally by Google, approach a rapid fall-off region in approximation quality experienced beyond intermediate-density. Our findings offer new insight into performance analysis of contemporary quantum optimization algorithms and contradict recent speculation regarding low-depth QAOA performance benefits., Comment: (feedback welcome) 11 pages; 5 composite figures

Solutions to many-body problem instances often involve an intractable number of degrees of freedom and admit no known approximations in general form. In practice, representing quantum-mechanical states of a given Hamiltonian using available numerical methods, in particular those based on variational Monte Carlo simulations, become exponentially more challenging with increasing system size. Recently quantum algorithms implemented as variational models have been proposed to accelerate such simulations. The variational ansatz states are characterized by a polynomial number of parameters devised in a way to minimize the expectation value of a given Hamiltonian, which is emulated by local measurements. In this study, we develop a means to certify the termination of variational algorithms. We demonstrate our approach by applying it to three models: the transverse field Ising model, the model of one-dimensional spinless fermions with competing interactions, and the Schwinger model of quantum electrodynamics. By means of comparison, we observe that our approach shows better performance near critical points in these models. We hence take a further step to improve the applicability and to certify the results of variational quantum simulators., Comment: 9 pages; 6 figures; REVTeX4-1

The numerical emulation of quantum systems often requires an exponential number of degrees of freedom which translates to a computational bottleneck. Methods of machine learning have been used in adjacent fields for effective feature extraction and dimensionality reduction of high-dimensional datasets. Recent studies have revealed that neural networks are further suitable for the determination of macroscopic phases of matter and associated phase transitions as well as efficient quantum state representation. In this work, we address quantum phase transitions in quantum spin chains, namely the transverse field Ising chain and the anisotropic XY chain, and show that even neural networks with no hidden layers can be effectively trained to distinguish between magnetically ordered and disordered phases. Our neural network acts to predict the corresponding crossovers finite-size systems undergo. Our results extend to a wide class of interacting quantum many-body systems and illustrate the wide applicability of neural networks to many-body quantum physics., Comment: 14pp, 9 figures, IoP class

Hybrid quantum-classical algorithms have been proposed as a potentially viable application of quantum computers. A particular example - the variational quantum eigensolver, or VQE - is designed to determine a global minimum in an energy landscape specified by a quantum Hamiltonian, which makes it appealing for the needs of quantum chemistry. Experimental realizations have been reported in recent years and theoretical estimates of its efficiency are a subject of intense effort. Here we consider the performance of the VQE technique for a Hubbard-like model describing a one-dimensional chain of fermions with competing nearest- and next-nearest-neighbor interactions. We find that recovering the VQE solution allows one to obtain the correlation function of the ground state consistent with the exact result. We also study the barren plateau phenomenon for the Hamiltonian in question and find that the severity of this effect depends on the encoding of fermions to qubits. Our results are consistent with the current knowledge about the barren plateaus in quantum optimization., Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, REVTeX4.2

Situated as a language between computer science, quantum physics and mathematics, tensor network theory has steadily grown in popularity and can now be found in applications ranging across the entire field of quantum information processing. This book aims to present the best contemporary practices in the use of tensor networks as a reasoning tool, placing quantum states, operators and processes on the same compositional footing. The book has 7 parts and over 40 subsections which took shape in over a decade of teaching. In addition to covering the foundations, the book covers important applications such as matrix product states, open quantum systems and entanglement $-$ all cast into the diagrammatic tensor network language. The intended audience includes those in quantum information science wishing to learn about tensor networks. It includes scientists who have employed tensor networks in their modeling codes who have interest in the tools graphical reasoning capacity. The audience further includes the graduate student researcher, whom with some effort, should find this book accessible. I would appreciate it if you emailed me about any mistakes or typos you find., Comment: 178 page book in LaTeX. Please email me about any mistakes or typos. Current version always available on overleaf, see http://www.overleaf.com/read/jkccbhcdqwnh