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Kostas Blekos

Publications and source records attributed to Kostas Blekos.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Imaginarity as a necessary resource for trainability in QAOA

The quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) tackles combinatorial problems by tuning a quantum circuit in a classical loop, often guided by gradients. We show that the gradient used to tune the circuit's final parameter is bounded by imaginarity, which weights phase relationships between candidate solutions by how strongly the circuit connects them and how differently the problem scores them. Imaginarity is necessary but not sufficient for a nonzero gradient. We extend the bound to three common noise models and compare it numerically with the gradient in Max-Cut simulations.

quant-ph

What does measuring one qubit reveal about another? $K$-networks as a directed diagnostic for quantum circuits

Many-qubit circuit states are hard to inspect directly, so they are often summarized by pairwise graph weights. Common pairwise weights report symmetric correlations, while many circuit questions are directed and basis-specific: if qubit $i$ is measured in a given basis, how strongly does the outcome reshape the conditional state of qubit $j$? We define $K_{i\to j}$, a directed, basis-conditioned edge weight for this question. It is large when the two measurement outcomes occur with comparable probability and leave qubit $j$ in clearly different conditional states; it is zero when the source outcome is deterministic or the target states are indistinguishable. The scalar uses standard binary-ensemble distinguishability; the paper's contribution is to turn this conditional comparison into a directed network layer for circuit states. The resulting networks are computable from two-qubit reduced density matrices. They are diagnostic (not entanglement measures): for pure two-qubit states $K$ reduces to the tangle $C^2$ (squared concurrence)~\cite{WoottersConcurrence,CKWTangle}, while separable mixed states can reach $K=1$. Examples on teleportation, Grover, QAOA, and random circuit families show the intended use: $K$-networks map feed-forward, phase, and interaction-graph structure that symmetric or computational-basis summaries can leave weak or absent.

quant-ph

Processing through encoding: Quantum circuit approaches for point-wise multiplication and convolution

This paper introduces quantum circuit methodologies for pointwise multiplication and convolution of complex functions, conceptualized as "processing through encoding". Leveraging known techniques, we describe an approach where multiple complex functions are encoded onto auxiliary qubits. Applying the proposed scheme for two functions $f$ and $g$, their pointwise product $f(x)g(x)$ is shown to naturally form as the coefficients of part of the resulting quantum state. Adhering to the convolution theorem, we then demonstrate how the convolution $f*g$ can be constructed. Similarly to related work, this involves the encoding of the Fourier coefficients $\mathcal{F}[f]$ and $\mathcal{F}[g]$, which facilitates their pointwise multiplication, followed by the inverse Quantum Fourier Transform. We discuss the simulation of these techniques, their integration into an extended \verb|quantumaudio| package for audio signal processing, and present initial experimental validations. This work offers a promising avenue for quantum signal processing, with potential applications in areas such as quantum-enhanced audio manipulation and synthesis.

quant-ph

Realizing string breaking dynamics in a $Z_2$ lattice gauge theory on quantum hardware

We investigate static and dynamical aspects of string breaking in a $Z_2$ lattice gauge theory coupled to Kogut-Susskind staggered fermions. Using Tensor Network simulations, we demonstrate that the static potential as well as the site-resolved configuration of the matter sites and gauge links allows us to identify the regimes in which string breaking occurs. Furthermore, we develop a variational quantum eigensolver that allows for reliably preparing the ground state of the theory in both the absence and presence of static charges and to capture the static aspects of the phenomenon. Carrying out state preparation on real quantum hardware for up to 19 qubits, we demonstrate its suitability for current quantum devices. In addition, we study the real-time dynamics of a flux tube between two static charges using both Tensor Networks and quantum hardware. Using a trotterization for the time-evolution operator, we are able to show that the breaking process starts with the creation of charges inside the string. These eventually redistribute towards the static charges and screen them, which leads to the breaking of the flux tube.

hep-lat

A Review on Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm and its Variants

The Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) is a highly promising variational quantum algorithm that aims to solve combinatorial optimization problems that are classically intractable. This comprehensive review offers an overview of the current state of QAOA, encompassing its performance analysis in diverse scenarios, its applicability across various problem instances, and considerations of hardware-specific challenges such as error susceptibility and noise resilience. Additionally, we conduct a comparative study of selected QAOA extensions and variants, while exploring future prospects and directions for the algorithm. We aim to provide insights into key questions about the algorithm, such as whether it can outperform classical algorithms and under what circumstances it should be used. Towards this goal, we offer specific practical points in a form of a short guide. Keywords: Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA), Variational Quantum Algorithms (VQAs), Quantum Optimization, Combinatorial Optimization Problems, NISQ Algorithms

quant-ph

Quantum Data Reduction with Application to Video Classification

We investigate a quantum video classification method using a hybrid algorithm. A quantum-classical step performs a data reduction on the video dataset and a quantum step -- which only has access to the reduced dataset -- classifies the video to one of k classes. We verify the method using sign videos and demonstrate that the reduced dataset contains enough information to successfully classify the data, using a quantum classification process. The proposed data reduction method showcases a way to alleviate the "data loading" problem of quantum computers for the problem of video classification. Data loading is a huge bottleneck, as there are no known efficient techniques to perform that task without sacrificing many of the benefits of quantum computing.

quant-ph

Efficient automated U-Net based tree crown delineation using UAV multi-spectral imagery on embedded devices

Delineation approaches provide significant benefits to various domains, including agriculture, environmental and natural disasters monitoring. Most of the work in the literature utilize traditional segmentation methods that require a large amount of computational and storage resources. Deep learning has transformed computer vision and dramatically improved machine translation, though it requires massive dataset for training and significant resources for inference. More importantly, energy-efficient embedded vision hardware delivering real-time and robust performance is crucial in the aforementioned application. In this work, we propose a U-Net based tree delineation method, which is effectively trained using multi-spectral imagery but can then delineate single-spectrum images. The deep architecture that also performs localization, i.e., a class label corresponds to each pixel, has been successfully used to allow training with a small set of segmented images. The ground truth data were generated using traditional image denoising and segmentation approaches. To be able to execute the proposed DNN efficiently in embedded platforms designed for deep learning approaches, we employ traditional model compression and acceleration methods. Extensive evaluation studies using data collected from UAVs equipped with multi-spectral cameras demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods in terms of delineation accuracy and execution efficiency.

cs.CV

Performance of superadiabatic stimulated Raman adiabatic passage in the presence of dissipation and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck dephasing

In this paper we evaluate the performance of two superadiabatic stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) protocols derived from Gaussian and sin-cos pulses, under dissipation and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck noise in the energy levels. We find that for small amplitudes of Stokes and pump pulses, the population transfer is mainly achieved directly through the counterdiabatic pulse, while for large amplitudes the conventional STIRAP path dominates. This kind of "hedging" leads to a remarkable robustness against dissipation in the lossy intermediate state. For small pulse amplitudes and increasing noise correlation time the performance is decreased, since the dominant counterdiabatic pulse is affected more, while for large pulse amplitudes, where the STIRAP path dominates, the efficiency is degraded more for intermediate correlation times (compared to the pulse duration). For the Gaussian superadiabatic STIRAP protocol we also investigate the effect of delay between pump and Stokes pulses and find that under the presence of noise the performance is improved for increasing delay. We conclude that the Gaussian protocol with suitably chosen delay and the sin-cos protocol perform quite well even under severe noise conditions. The present work is expected to have a broad spectrum of applications, since STIRAP has a crucial role in modern quantum technology.

quant-ph

Field assisted extraction and swelling of quantum coherence for moving Unruh-DeWitt detectors

We study the effects of motion for an Unruh-DeWitt detector, modeled as a two-level system, on the amount of coherence extracted, when it interacts with a massless scalar coherent field in 1+1 Minkowski spacetime. We observe that compared to a detector at rest, for certain values of the initial energy of the field and the interaction duration, the amount is larger for both a detector moving with a constant speed or uniform acceleration. This "swelling" of coherence, which becomes more intense for increasing values of velocity or acceleration, is mostly observed for short durations, when the energy of the field is larger compared to that of the detector, and for longer durations but smaller field energies. As a consequence, the rate at which coherence is lost, is sometimes slower for a moving detector than for a detector at rest.

quant-ph

Faithful extraction of quantum coherence

Coherence, a strictly quantum phenomenon, has found many applications, from quantum information theory and thermodynamics to quantum foundations and biology. When physical constraints are taken into consideration creation of coherence in a system is usually impossible and must therefore be extracted from another system acting as a reservoir. In this article we present two faithful extraction protocols in the sense that the interaction involved between the system and reservoir is coherence preserving. As an example we implement both in the case where the reservoir is a quantum harmonic oscillator in a coherent and a squeezed state respectively, and study the limits of repeatable extraction. For a single extraction onto qubits it is demonstrated that, perhaps surprisingly, one of the protocols manages to outperform a previous method, known as catalytic coherence, which allows the creation of an extra amount of coherence between degenerate energy eigenstates of the combined system.

quant-ph

Generation of maximally entangled states in hybrid two quantum dots mediated by a spherical metal nanoparticle driven by external laser field

We theoretically study the generation of quantum correlations in a hybrid system composed by two interacting semiconductor quantum dots mediated by a metal nanoparticle and coupled to an external laser field. Interactions present in the hybrid system are treated using a semiclassical approximation except for the direct dipole-dipole interaction. We report the entanglement of formation, which gives information about entanglement quantum correlations, for continuous wave and pulsed driving applied fields. We have found that for proper values of the physical and geometrical parameters of the hybrid system the applied field can be tuned producing quantum correlations of significant value so that they can be useful in quantum information and computation processes.

quant-ph

Polarization-entangled photon generation by a semiconductor quantum dot coupled to a cavity interacting with external fields

We theoretically investigate polarization-entangled photon generation by using a semiconductor quantum dot embedded in a microcavity. The entangled states can be produced by the application of two cross-circularly polarized laser fields. The quantum dot nanostructure is considered as a four-level system (ground, two excitons and bi-exciton states) and the theoretical study relies on the dressed states scheme. The quantum correlations, reported in terms of the entanglement of formation, are extensively studied for several values of the important parameters of the quantum dot system as the bi-exciton binding energy, {the decoherence times of the characteristic transitions, the quality factor of the cavity} and the intensities of the applied fields.

quant-ph