Quantum Optimization Algorithms for Strongly Correlated Many-Body Systems

Abstract

This perspective article analyzes the potential and critical challenges of employing quantum optimization algorithms to investigate phase transitions in quantum many-body systems during the Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum era. The simulation of strongly correlated systems is frequently intractable on classical computers due to the exponential growth of the Hilbert space and the fermionic sign problem. In this context, we review and compare the performance of traditional Variational Quantum Algorithms, such as the Variational Quantum Eigensolver and the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm, against emerging heuristic approaches, specifically Feedback-based Quantum Algorithms, such as FALQON. We explore the applicability of these methods in the study of open phenomena in condensed matter physics, including Deconfined Quantum Criticality, strange metals, Many-Body Localization, topological phase transitions, and quantum spin liquids. We discuss how fundamental operational bottlenecks, notably expressibility- and noise-induced barren plateaus, severely compromise gradient-based optimization. We conclude that deterministic feedback-guided methods provide geometrically more robust trajectories for navigating the energy landscape of these systems, arguing that further advancement in the field will rely on deep hybridization and physics-informed circuit co-design towards fault tolerance.