arXiv subjects

Adrián Pérez-Salinas

Publications and source records attributed to Adrián Pérez-Salinas.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Hierarchically discriminating Haar-randomness in quantum states from a black-box device

The concept of randomness in quantum computing has been central to constructing benchmarking tools, cryptographic protocols, as well as a proof of beyond-classical computation. Discerning whether quantum states (or unitaries) are randomly distributed is a computational task that requires an enormous amount of quantum computational resources. This work addresses such a challenge by introducing a hierarchical discrimination algorithm to efficiently test if a set of states $S$ generated from a black-box quantum device with an unknown distribution is (in)compatible with a random distribution. To this end, we reduce the complexity of the problem by selecting an observable with known spectrum to study the statistical properties of its expectation values with respect to the quantum states from an unknown (black-box) quantum device. Concurrently, we use our first technical result, a connection between Haar-randomness and the Dirichlet distribution, to analytically compute Haar-random moments of the observable. Our Haar-random discriminator test is then simply to compare those statistical moments, such that if $S$ fails the test, it is enough to state that the quantum device does not output randomly distributed states. Else, we can not (yet) confirm that the states follow a Haar-random distribution. We further provide an extension to this algorithm by permutation- and unitary-equivalent randomization of the observable at increasing computational resources, which allows us to more accurately state whether $S$ is compatible with Haar-randomness. We envision the use of the discriminator test as a quantum device benchmark, by discriminating whether the states generated are incompatible with Haar-randomness.

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arXiv2026

Variational Quantum Generative Modeling by Sampling Expectation Values of Tunable Observables

Expectation Value Samplers (EVSs) are quantum generative models that can learn high-dimensional continuous distributions by measuring the expectation values of parameterized quantum circuits. However, these models can demand impractical quantum resources for good performance. We investigate how observable choices affect EVS performance and propose an Observable-Tunable Expectation Value Sampler (OT-EVS), which achieves greater expressivity than standard EVS. By restricting the selectable observables, it is possible to use the classical shadows measurement scheme to reduce the sample complexity of our algorithm. In addition, we propose an adversarial training method adapted to the needs of OT-EVS. This training prioritizes classical updates of observables, minimizing the more costly updates of quantum circuit parameters. Numerical experiments, using an original simulation technique for correlated shot noise, confirm our model's expressivity and sample efficiency advantages compared to previous designs. We envision our proposal to encourage the exploration of continuous generative models running with few quantum resources.

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arXiv2026

Warm Starts, Cold States: Exploiting Adiabaticity for Variational Ground-States

Reliable preparation of many-body ground states is an essential task in quantum computing, with applications spanning areas from chemistry and materials modeling to quantum optimization and benchmarking. A variety of approaches have been proposed to tackle this problem, including variational methods. However, variational training often struggle to navigate complex energy landscapes, frequently encountering suboptimal local minima or suffering from barren plateaus. In this work, we introduce an iterative strategy for ground-state preparation based on a stepwise (discretized) Hamiltonian deformation. By complementing the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) with adiabatic principles, we demonstrate that solving a sequence of intermediate problems facilitates tracking the ground-state manifold toward the target system, even as we scale the system size. We provide a rigorous theoretical foundation for this approach, proving a lower bound on the loss variance that suggests trainability throughout the deformation, provided the system remains away from gap closings. Numerical simulations, including the effects of shot noise, confirm that this path-dependent tracking consistently converges to the target ground state.

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arXiv2025

Limits of quantum generative models with classical sampling hardness

Sampling tasks have been successful in establishing quantum advantages both in theory and experiments. This has fueled the use of quantum computers for generative modeling to create samples following the probability distribution underlying a given dataset. In particular, the potential to build generative models on classically hard distributions would immediately preclude classical simulability, due to theoretical separations. In this work, we study quantum generative models from the perspective of output distributions, showing that models that anticoncentrate are not trainable on average, including those exhibiting quantum advantage. In contrast, models outputting data from sparse distributions can be trained. We consider special cases to enhance trainability, and observe that this opens the path for classical algorithms for surrogate sampling. This observed trade-off is linked to verification of quantum processes. We conclude that quantum advantage can still be found in generative models, although its source must be distinct from anticoncentration.

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arXiv2025

Universal approximation of continuous functions with minimal quantum circuits

The conventional paradigm of quantum computing is discrete: it utilizes discrete sets of gates to realize bitstring-to-bitstring mappings, some of them arguably intractable for classical computers. In parameterized quantum approaches, the input becomes continuous and the output represents real-valued functions. While the universality of discrete quantum computers is well understood, basic questions remained open in the continuous case. We focus on universality on multivariate functions. Current approaches require either a number of qubits scaling linearly with the dimension of the input for fixed encodings, or a tunable encoding procedure in single-qubit circuits. The question of whether universality can be reached with a fixed encoding and sub-linearly many qubits remained open for the last five years. In this paper, we answer this question in the affirmative for arbitrary multivariate functions. We provide two methods: (i) a single-qubit circuit where each coordinate of the arguments to the function to represent is input independently, and (ii) a multi-qubit approach where all coordinates are input in one step, with number of qubits scaling logarithmically with the dimension of the argument of the function of interest. We view the first result of inherent and fundamental interest, whereas the second result opens the path towards representing functions whose arguments are densely encoded in a unitary operation, possibly encoding for instance quantum processes.

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arXiv2025

On the relation between trainability and dequantization of variational quantum learning models

The quest for successful variational quantum machine learning (QML) relies on the design of suitable parametrized quantum circuits (PQCs), as analogues to neural networks in classical machine learning. Successful QML models must fulfill the properties of trainability and non-dequantization, among others. Recent works have highlighted an intricate interplay between trainability and dequantization of such models, which is still unresolved. In this work we contribute to this debate from the perspective of machine learning, proving a number of results identifying, among others when trainability and non-dequantization are not mutually exclusive. We begin by providing a number of new somewhat broader definitions of the relevant concepts, compared to what is found in other literature, which are operationally motivated, and consistent with prior art. With these precise definitions given and motivated, we then study the relation between trainability and dequantization of variational QML. Next, we also discuss the degrees of "variationalness" of QML models, where we distinguish between models like the hardware efficient ansatz and quantum kernel methods. Finally, we introduce recipes for building PQC-based QML models which are both trainable and nondequantizable, and corresponding to different degrees of variationalness. We do not address the practical utility for such models. Our work however does point toward a way forward for finding more general constructions, for which finding applications may become feasible.

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arXiv2025

Multiple-basis representation of quantum states

Classical simulation of quantum physics is a central approach to investigating physical phenomena. Quantum computers enhance computational capabilities beyond those of classical resources, but it remains unclear to what extent existing limited quantum computers can contribute to this enhancement. In this work, we explore a new hybrid, efficient quantum-classical representation of quantum states, the multiple-basis representation. This representation consists of a linear combination of states that are sparse in some given and different bases, specified by quantum circuits. Such representation is particularly appealing when considering depth-limited quantum circuits within reach of current hardware. We analyze the expressivity of multiple-basis representation states depending on the classical simulability of their quantum circuits. In particular, we show that multiple-basis representation states include, but are not restricted to, both matrix-product states and stabilizer states. Furthermore, we find cases in which this representation can be used, namely approximation of ground states, simulation of deeper computations by specifying bases with shallow circuits, and a tomographical protocol to describe states as multiple-basis representations. We envision this work to open the path of simultaneous use of several hardware-friendly bases, a natural description of hybrid computational methods accessible for near-term hardware.

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arXiv2024

The role of data-induced randomness in quantum machine learning classification tasks

Quantum machine learning (QML) has surged as a prominent area of research with the objective to go beyond the capabilities of classical machine learning models. A critical aspect of any learning task is the process of data embedding, which directly impacts model performance. Poorly designed data-embedding strategies can significantly impact the success of a learning task. Despite its importance, rigorous analyses of data-embedding effects are limited, leaving many cases without effective assessment methods. In this work, we introduce a metric for binary classification tasks, the class margin, by merging the concepts of average randomness and classification margin. This metric analytically connects data-induced randomness with classification accuracy for a given data-embedding map. We benchmark a range of data-embedding strategies through class margin, demonstrating that data-induced randomness imposes a limit on classification performance. We expect this work to provide a new approach to evaluate QML models by their data-embedding processes, addressing gaps left by existing analytical tools.

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arXiv2024

Gradients and frequency profiles of quantum re-uploading models

Quantum re-uploading models have been extensively investigated as a form of machine learning within the context of variational quantum algorithms. Their trainability and expressivity are not yet fully understood and are critical to their performance. In this work, we address trainability through the lens of the magnitude of the gradients of the cost function. We prove bounds for the differences between gradients of the better-studied data-less parameterized quantum circuits and re-uploading models. We coin the concept of {\sl absorption witness} to quantify such difference. For the expressivity, we prove that quantum re-uploading models output functions with vanishing high-frequency components and upper-bounded derivatives with respect to data. As a consequence, such functions present limited sensitivity to fine details, which protects against overfitting. We performed numerical experiments extending the theoretical results to more relaxed and realistic conditions. Overall, future designs of quantum re-uploading models will benefit from the strengthened knowledge delivered by the uncovering of absorption witnesses and vanishing high frequencies.

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arXiv2024

Analyzing variational quantum landscapes with information content

The parameters of the quantum circuit in a variational quantum algorithm induce a landscape that contains the relevant information regarding its optimization hardness. In this work we investigate such landscapes through the lens of information content, a measure of the variability between points in parameter space. Our major contribution connects the information content to the average norm of the gradient, for which we provide robust analytical bounds on its estimators. This result holds for any (classical or quantum) variational landscape. We validate the analytical understating by numerically studying the scaling of the gradient in an instance of the barren plateau problem. In such instance we are able to estimate the scaling pre-factors in the gradient. Our work provides a new way to analyze variational quantum algorithms in a data-driven fashion well-suited for near-term quantum computers.

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arXiv2023

Reduce&chop: Shallow circuits for deeper problems

State-of-the-art quantum computers can only reliably execute circuits with limited qubit numbers and computational depth. This severely reduces the scope of algorithms that can be run. While numerous techniques have been invented to exploit few-qubit devices, corresponding schemes for depth-limited computations are less explored. This work investigates to what extent we can mimic the performance of a deeper quantum computation by repeatedly using a shallower device. We propose a method for this purpose, inspired by Feynman simulation, where a given circuit is chopped in two pieces. The first piece is executed and measured early on, and the second piece is run based on the previous outcome. This method is inefficient if applied in a straightforward manner due to the high number of possible outcomes. To mitigate this issue, we propose a shallow variational circuit, whose purpose is to maintain the complexity of the method within pre-defined tolerable limits, and provide a novel optimisation method to find such circuit. The composition of these components of the methods is called reduce\&chop. As we discuss, this approach works for certain cases of interest. We believe this work may stimulate new research towards exploiting the potential of shallow quantum computers.

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arXiv2022

Adiabatic quantum algorithm for artificial graphene

We devise a quantum-circuit algorithm to solve the ground state and ground energy of artificial graphene. The algorithm implements a Trotterized adiabatic evolution from a purely tight-binding Hamiltonian to one including kinetic, spin-orbit and Coulomb terms. The initial state is obtained efficiently using Gaussian-state preparation, while the readout of the ground energy is organized into seventeen sets of measurements, irrespective of the size of the problem. The total depth of the corresponding quantum circuit scales polynomially with the size of the system. A full simulation of the algorithm is performed and ground energies are obtained for lattices with up to four hexagons. Our results are benchmarked with exact diagonalization for systems with one and two hexagons. For larger systems we use the exact statevector and approximate matrix product state simulation techniques. The latter allows to systematically trade off precision with memory and therefore to tackle larger systems. We analyze adiabatic and Trotterization errors, providing estimates for optimal periods and time discretizations given a finite accuracy. In the case of large systems we also study approximation errors.

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arXiv2021

Algorithmic Strategies for seizing Quantum Computing

Quantum computing is a nascent technology with prospects to have a huge impact in the world. Its current status, however, only counts on small and noisy quantum computers whose performance is limited. In this thesis, two different strategies are explored to take advantage of inherently quantum properties and propose recipes to seize quantum computing since its advent. First, the re-uploading strategy is a variational algorithm related to machine learning. It consists in introducing data several times along a computation accompanied by tunable parameters. This process permits the circuit to learn and mimic any behavior. This capability emerges naturally from the quantum properties of the circuit. Second, the unary strategy aims to reduce the density of information stored in a quantum circuit to increase its resilience against noise. This trade-off between performance and robustness brings an advantage for noisy devices, where small but meaningful quantum speed-ups can be found.

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arXiv2021

Qibo: a framework for quantum simulation with hardware acceleration

We present Qibo, a new open-source software for fast evaluation of quantum circuits and adiabatic evolution which takes full advantage of hardware accelerators. The growing interest in quantum computing and the recent developments of quantum hardware devices motivates the development of new advanced computational tools focused on performance and usage simplicity. In this work we introduce a new quantum simulation framework that enables developers to delegate all complicated aspects of hardware or platform implementation to the library so they can focus on the problem and quantum algorithms at hand. This software is designed from scratch with simulation performance, code simplicity and user friendly interface as target goals. It takes advantage of hardware acceleration such as multi-threading CPU, single GPU and multi-GPU devices.

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arXiv2021

Single-qubit universal classifier implemented on an ion-trap quantum device

Quantum computers can provide solutions to classically intractable problems under specific and adequate conditions. However, current devices have only limited computational resources, and an effort is made to develop useful quantum algorithms under these circumstances. This work experimentally demonstrates that a single-qubit device can host a universal classifier. The quantum processor used in this work is based on ion traps, providing highly accurate control on small systems. The algorithm chosen is the re-uploading scheme, which can address general learning tasks. Ion traps suit the needs of accurate control required by re-uploading. In the experiment here presented, a set of non-trivial classification tasks are successfully carried. The training procedure is performed in two steps combining simulation and experiment. Final results are benchmarked against exact simulations of the same method and also classical algorithms, showing a competitive performance of the ion-trap quantum classifier. This work constitutes the first experimental implementation of a classification algorithm based on the re-uploading scheme.

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arXiv2021

One qubit as a Universal Approximant

A single-qubit circuit can approximate any bounded complex function stored in the degrees of freedom defining its quantum gates. The single-qubit approximant presented in this work is operated through a series of gates that take as their parameterization the independent variable of the target function and an additional set of adjustable parameters. The independent variable is re-uploaded in every gate while the parameters are optimized for each target function. The output state of this quantum circuit becomes more accurate as the number of re-uploadings of the independent variable increases, i. e., as more layers of gates parameterized with the independent variable are applied. In this work, we provide two different proofs of this claim related to both the Fourier series and the Universal Approximation Theorem for Neural Networks, and we benchmark both methods against their classical counterparts. We further implement a single-qubit approximant in a real superconducting qubit device, demonstrating how the ability to describe a set of functions improves with the depth of the quantum circuit. This work shows the robustness of the re-uploading technique on Quantum Machine Learning.

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arXiv2021

Quantum unary approach to option pricing

We present a quantum algorithm for European option pricing in finance, where the key idea is to work in the unary representation of the asset value. The algorithm needs novel circuitry and is divided in three parts: first, the amplitude distribution corresponding to the asset value at maturity is generated using a low depth circuit; second, the computation of the expected return is computed with simple controlled gates; and third, standard Amplitude Estimation is used to gain quantum advantage. On the positive side, unary representation remarkably simplifies the structure and depth of the quantum circuit. Amplitude distributions uses quantum superposition to bypass the role of classical Monte Carlo simulation. The unary representation also provides a post-selection consistency check that allows for a substantial mitigation in the error of the computation. On the negative side, unary representation requires linearly many qubits to represent a target probability distribution, as compared to the logarithmic scaling of binary algorithms. We compare the performance of both unary vs. binary option pricing algorithms using error maps, and find that unary representation may bring a relevant advantage in practice for near-term devices.

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arXiv2021

Determining the proton content with a quantum computer

We present a first attempt to design a quantum circuit for the determination of the parton content of the proton through the estimation of parton distribution functions (PDFs), in the context of high energy physics (HEP). The growing interest in quantum computing and the recent developments of new algorithms and quantum hardware devices motivates the study of methodologies applied to HEP. In this work we identify architectures of variational quantum circuits suitable for PDFs representation (qPDFs). We show experiments about the deployment of qPDFs on real quantum devices, taking into consideration current experimental limitations. Finally, we perform a global qPDF determination from collider data using quantum computer simulation on classical hardware and we compare the obtained partons and related phenomenological predictions involving hadronic processes to modern PDFs.

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