Simulated outperforms quantum reverse annealing in mean-field models

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Baldwin, Christopher L.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Baldwin, Christopher L.
author_facet Baldwin, Christopher L.
contents Adiabatic reverse annealing (ARA) has been proposed as an improvement to conventional quantum annealing for solving optimization problems, in which one takes advantage of an initial guess at the solution to suppress problematic phase transitions. Here we interpret the performance of ARA through its effects on the free energy landscape, and use the intuition gained to introduce a classical analogue to ARA termed ``simulated reverse annealing'' (SRA). This makes it more difficult to claim that ARA provides a quantum advantage in solving a given problem, as not only must ARA succeed but the corresponding SRA must fail. As a solvable example, we analyze how both protocols behave in the infinite-range (non-disordered) $p$-spin model. Through both the thermodynamic phase diagrams and explicit dynamical behavior, we establish that the quantum algorithm has no advantage over its classical counterpart: SRA succeeds not only in every case where ARA does but even in a narrow range of parameters where ARA fails.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_00150
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Simulated outperforms quantum reverse annealing in mean-field models
Baldwin, Christopher L.
Quantum Physics
Statistical Mechanics
Adiabatic reverse annealing (ARA) has been proposed as an improvement to conventional quantum annealing for solving optimization problems, in which one takes advantage of an initial guess at the solution to suppress problematic phase transitions. Here we interpret the performance of ARA through its effects on the free energy landscape, and use the intuition gained to introduce a classical analogue to ARA termed ``simulated reverse annealing'' (SRA). This makes it more difficult to claim that ARA provides a quantum advantage in solving a given problem, as not only must ARA succeed but the corresponding SRA must fail. As a solvable example, we analyze how both protocols behave in the infinite-range (non-disordered) $p$-spin model. Through both the thermodynamic phase diagrams and explicit dynamical behavior, we establish that the quantum algorithm has no advantage over its classical counterpart: SRA succeeds not only in every case where ARA does but even in a narrow range of parameters where ARA fails.
title Simulated outperforms quantum reverse annealing in mean-field models
topic Quantum Physics
Statistical Mechanics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.00150