A numerical model for time-multiplexed Ising machines based on delay-line oscillators

Abstract

Ising machines (IM) have recently been proposed as unconventional hardware-based computation accelerators for solving NP-hard problems. In this work, we present a model for a time-multiplexed IM based on the nonlinear oscillations in a delay line-based resonator and numerically study the effects that the circuit parameters, specifically the compression gain $\beta_r$ and frequency nonlinearity $\beta_i$, have on the IM solutions. We find that the likelihood of reaching the global minimum -- the global minimum probability (GMP) -- is the highest for a certain range of $\beta_r$ and $\beta_i$ located near the edge of the synchronization region of the oscillators. The optimal range remains unchanged for all tested coupling topologies and network connections. We also observe a sharp transition line in the ($\beta_i, \beta_r$) space above which the GMP falls to zero. In all cases, small variations in the natural frequency of the oscillators do not modify the results, allowing us to extend this model to realistic systems.