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Finite temperature quantum annealing solving exponentially small gap problem with non-monotonic success probability
Anurag Mishra1,2, Tameem Albash3,4,5, Daniel A Lidar3,4,6,7
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA. anuragmi@usc.edu.
Nature Communications
|July 27, 2018
Summary
Open-system quantum annealing unexpectedly succeeds on difficult problems where closed systems fail. Success depends on thermally accessible states at critical points, not thermal relaxation.
Area of Science:
- Quantum Computing
- Quantum Annealing
- Condensed Matter Physics
Background:
- Closed-system quantum annealing faces challenges with exponentially small energy gaps.
- The performance of open-system quantum annealing under similar conditions is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate open-system quantum annealing performance on a problem with an exponentially decreasing gap.
- Determine factors influencing success probability in open-system quantum annealing.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a quantum annealing processor to solve a ferromagnetic chain problem.
- Analyzed the energy gap scaling relative to problem size and device temperature.
- Correlated success probability with the number of accessible excited states.
Main Results:
- Contrary to closed-system expectations, success probability increased for larger sector sizes.
- The energy gap was significantly smaller than the device temperature.
- Success probability strongly correlated with thermally accessible excited states at the critical point.
Conclusions:
- Open-system quantum annealing performance is not solely limited by small energy gaps.
- The system's critical point properties, not thermal relaxation, dominate open-system behavior.
- This study reveals novel dynamics in open quantum systems relevant to quantum annealing.
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