Elementary proof of QAOA convergence
Lennart Binkowski, Gereon Koßmann, Timo Ziegler, René Schwonnek
Abstract
Abstract The quantum alternating operator ansatz (QAOA) and its predecessor, the quantum approximate optimization algorithm, are one of the most widely used quantum algorithms for solving combinatorial optimization problems. However, as there is yet no rigorous proof of convergence for the QAOA, we provide one in this paper. The proof involves retracing the connection between the quantum adiabatic algorithm and the QAOA, and naturally suggests a refined definition of the ‘phase separator’ and ‘mixer’ keywords.
Topics & Concepts
PhysicsConvergence (economics)Proof of conceptTheoretical physicsMathematical physicsClassical mechanicsComputer scienceEconomicsEconomic growthOperating systemFault Detection and Control Systems