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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wang, Sha-Sha, Liu, Hai-Ling, Li, Yong-Mei, Gao, Fei, Qin, Su-Juan, Wen, Qiao-Yan
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.06922
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Table of Contents:
  • The Quantum Alternating Operator Ansatz (QAOA+) is one of the Variational Quantum Algorithm (VQA) specifically developed to tackle combinatorial optimization problems by exploring the feasible space in search of a target solution. For constrained optimization problems with unconstrained variables, which we call Unconstrained-Variables Problems (UVPs), the mixed operators in the QAOA+ circuit are applied to the constrained variables, while the single-qubit rotating gates $R_X$ operate on the unconstrained variables. The expressibility of this circuit is limited by the shortage of two-qubit gates and the parameter sharing in the $R_X$, which consequently impacts the performance of QAOA+ for solving UVPs. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a suitable ansatz for UVPs. In this paper, we propose the Variational Quantum Algorithm-Preserving Feasible Space (VQA-PFS) ansatz, exemplified by the Uncapacitated Facility Location Problem (UFLP), that applies mixed operators on constrained variables while employing Hardware-Efficient Ansatz (HEA) on unconstrained variables. The numerical results demonstrate that VQA-PFS significantly enhances the success probability and exhibits faster convergence compared to QAOA+, Quantum Approximation Optimization Algorithm (QAOA), and HEA. Furthermore, VQA-PFS reduces the circuit depth dramatically in comparison to QAOA+ and QAOA. Our algorithm is general and instructive in tackling UVPs.