Towards Quantum Algorithms for the Optimization of Spanning Trees: The Power Distribution Grids Use Case

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Hartmann, Carsten, Rodellas-Gràcia, Nil, Wallisch, Christian, Pesch, Thiemo, Wilhelm, Frank K., Witthaut, Dirk, Stollenwerk, Tobias, Benigni, Andrea
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Hartmann, Carsten
Rodellas-Gràcia, Nil
Wallisch, Christian
Pesch, Thiemo
Wilhelm, Frank K.
Witthaut, Dirk
Stollenwerk, Tobias
Benigni, Andrea
author_facet Hartmann, Carsten
Rodellas-Gràcia, Nil
Wallisch, Christian
Pesch, Thiemo
Wilhelm, Frank K.
Witthaut, Dirk
Stollenwerk, Tobias
Benigni, Andrea
contents Optimizing the topology of networks is an important challenge across engineering disciplines. In energy systems, network reconfiguration can substantially reduce losses and costs and thus support the energy transition. Unfortunately, many related optimization problems are NP hard, restricting practical applications. In this article, we address the problem of minimizing losses in radial networks, a problem that routinely arises in distribution grid operation. We show that even the computation of approximate solutions is computationally hard and propose quantum optimization as a promising alternative. We derive two quantum algorithmic primitives based on the Quantum Alternating Operator Ansatz (QAOA) that differ in the sampling of network topologies: a tailored sampling of radial topologies and simple sampling with penalty terms to suppress non-radial topologies. We show how to apply these algorithmic primitives to distribution grid reconfiguration and quantify the necessary quantum resources.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_00582
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Towards Quantum Algorithms for the Optimization of Spanning Trees: The Power Distribution Grids Use Case
Hartmann, Carsten
Rodellas-Gràcia, Nil
Wallisch, Christian
Pesch, Thiemo
Wilhelm, Frank K.
Witthaut, Dirk
Stollenwerk, Tobias
Benigni, Andrea
Systems and Control
Quantum Physics
Optimizing the topology of networks is an important challenge across engineering disciplines. In energy systems, network reconfiguration can substantially reduce losses and costs and thus support the energy transition. Unfortunately, many related optimization problems are NP hard, restricting practical applications. In this article, we address the problem of minimizing losses in radial networks, a problem that routinely arises in distribution grid operation. We show that even the computation of approximate solutions is computationally hard and propose quantum optimization as a promising alternative. We derive two quantum algorithmic primitives based on the Quantum Alternating Operator Ansatz (QAOA) that differ in the sampling of network topologies: a tailored sampling of radial topologies and simple sampling with penalty terms to suppress non-radial topologies. We show how to apply these algorithmic primitives to distribution grid reconfiguration and quantify the necessary quantum resources.
title Towards Quantum Algorithms for the Optimization of Spanning Trees: The Power Distribution Grids Use Case
topic Systems and Control
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.00582