Escaping Local Minima with Quantum Coherent Cooling

Abstract

Quantum cooling has demonstrated its potential in quantum computing, which can reduce the number of control channels needed for external signals. Recent progress also supports the possibility of maintaining quantum coherence in large-scale systems. The limitations of classical algorithms trapped in local minima of cost functions could be overcome using this scheme. According to this, we propose a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm for finding the global minima. Our approach utilizes quantum coherent cooling to facilitate coordinative tunneling through energy barriers if the classical algorithm gets stuck. The encoded Hamiltonian system represents the cost function, and a quantum coherent bath in the ground state serves as a heat sink to absorb energy from the system. Our proposed scheme can be implemented in the circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) system using a quantum cavity. The provided numerical evidence demonstrates the quantum advantage in solving spin glass problems.