Connecting geometry and performance of two-qubit parameterized quantum circuits

Parameterized quantum circuits (PQCs) are a central component of many variational quantum algorithms, yet there is a lack of understanding of how their parameterization impacts algorithm performance. We initiate this discussion by using principal bundles to geometrically characterize two-qubit PQCs....

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Amara Katabarwa, Sukin Sim, Dax Enshan Koh, Pierre-Luc Dallaire-Demers
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Verein zur Förderung des Open Access Publizierens in den Quantenwissenschaften 2022-08-01
Series:Quantum
Online Access:https://quantum-journal.org/papers/q-2022-08-23-782/pdf/
Description
Summary:Parameterized quantum circuits (PQCs) are a central component of many variational quantum algorithms, yet there is a lack of understanding of how their parameterization impacts algorithm performance. We initiate this discussion by using principal bundles to geometrically characterize two-qubit PQCs. On the base manifold, we use the Mannoury-Fubini-Study metric to find a simple equation relating the Ricci scalar (geometry) and concurrence (entanglement). By calculating the Ricci scalar during a variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) optimization process, this offers us a new perspective to how and why Quantum Natural Gradient outperforms the standard gradient descent. We argue that the key to the Quantum Natural Gradient's superior performance is its ability to find regions of high negative curvature early in the optimization process. These regions of high negative curvature appear to be important in accelerating the optimization process.
ISSN:2521-327X