Variational Learning with Sparse Long-range Entangling Gates
TL;DR
This work examines when structured long-range connectivity provides a useful resource, focusing on sparse power-of-two (PWR2) coupling graphs, and identifies circuit geometry and qubit reconfigurability as task-dependent resources for variational algorithms.
Abstract
The performance of variational quantum algorithms depends in general on the structure of the parametrized quantum circuit, but the most common ans\"atze are typically based on local couplings. Motivated by the extended connectivity available with neutral atoms and trapped ions, we examine when structured long-range connectivity provides a useful resource, focusing on sparse power-of-two (PWR2) coupling graphs. Using dynamical Lie-algebra analysis, approximate unitary-design diagnostics, and finite-depth measures of expressibility and entanglement, we examine how these geometries enlarge the accessible operator space. This enlarged space alone is not sufficient to ensure trainability of the parameterized circuit for given target problems, and we explore performance across example problems with and without long-range coupling, identifying where sparse coupling graphs are or are not likely to provide an advantage. We also introduce a variational scheme that maps hierarchical long-range Hamiltonians to geometrically local ones that can be optimized with short-range circuits. Together, these results identify circuit geometry and qubit reconfigurability as task-dependent resources for variational algorithms, relevant to ongoing developments in quantum hardware with long-range connectivity.