Quantum Optimization via Four-Body Rydberg Gates

A large ongoing research effort focuses on obtaining a quantum advantage in the solution of combinatorial optimization problems on near-term quantum devices. A particularly promising platform implementing quantum optimization algorithms are arrays of trapped neutral atoms, laser coupled to highly excited Rydberg states. However, encoding combinatorial optimization problems in atomic arrays is challenging due to limited interqubit connectivity of the native finite-range interactions. Here, we present a four-body Rydberg parity gate, enabling a direct and straightforward implementation of the parity architecture, a scalable architecture for encoding arbitrarily connected interaction graphs. Our gate relies on adiabatic laser pulses and is fully programmable by adjusting two hold times during operation. We numerically demonstrate implementations of the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) for small-scale test problems. Variational optimization steps can be implemented with a constant number of system manipulations, paving the way for experimental investigations of QAOA beyond the reach of numerical simulations.