Variational Quantum Algorithms

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Overview

Variational quantum algorithms combine parameterized quantum circuits with classical optimizers to tackle tasks such as molecular ground-state estimation, combinatorial optimization, and quantum machine learning. Common approaches include VQE and QAOA, with work on circuit ansätze, gradient and measurement strategies, and automated architecture search to reduce circuit and hardware costs. Researchers test these methods on problems such as molecular Hamiltonians, spin systems, Max-Cut, and classification, using both simulations and quantum devices. A central challenge is balancing expressive circuits with trainability and noise robustness, while establishing practical benefits through fair comparisons with classical methods.

Latest papers

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28 papers4 papers in the last four weeks, against 2 the four weeks before. 0.0% of all new papers.

  1. Quantum-Classical Neural Networks for Solving Lindblad Master Equations

    Oct 15, 2026Rafael Florencio Díaz, Julio Guerrero García, Elvira Romera GutiérrezVariational Quantum AlgorithmsHybrid Quantum-Classical ML

    Departamento de Matem´aticas, Universidad de Ja´en, Edificio de Servicios Generales - Campus Cient´ıfico Tecnol´ogico de Linares. Avda. de la Universidad (Cintur´on Sur), s/n, Linares, 23700, Ja´en, Espa˜na. · C´atedra de Energ´ıa y Tecnolog´ıas Cu´anticas, Universidad de Granada, Spain. · Departamento de Matem´aticas, Universidad de Ja´en, Campus Las Lagunillas, Ja´en, 23071, Ja´en, Espa˜na. +1

  2. Measurement-Efficient Differentiable Quantum Architecture Search for Combinatorial Optimization

    Oct 7, 2026Lukas Theißinger, Thore Gerlach, Christian BauckhageQuantum Architecture SearchQuantum Machine Learning

    University of Bonn Germany · European Space Agency Netherlands · Lamarr Institute Germany

  3. What a Reporting Convention Hides: A Matched-Budget Audit of Quantum Natural Gradient with an Exactly Computed Metric

    Oct 7, 2026Lu Wei, Yufeng Wang, Haibin LingQuantum Machine LearningVariational Quantum Algorithms

    Stony Brook University · Westlake University

  4. Optimization Geometry of QAOA and Variational Quantum Algorithms

    Oct 4, 2026Vojtěch Novák, Ivan Zelinka, Silvie Illésová +2Quantum Approximate Optimization AlgorithmVariational Quantum Algorithms

    Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic · IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, 708 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic · Department of Informatics and Statistics, Marine Research Institute, Klaipeda University, Klaipeda, Lithuania +3

  5. From Trainability Diagnostics to Optimization Claims: Boundaries and Controls in Variational Quantum Optimization

    Sep 18, 2026Pilsung KangVariational Quantum AlgorithmsGradient Projection

  6. When is global evolutionary search useful for variational quantum algorithms? A landscape-first study

    Sep 13, 2026Vojtěch Novák, Ivan ZelinkaVariational Quantum AlgorithmsEvolutionary Optimization

    Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic · IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center, VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, 708 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic

  7. Classical Hardware Acceleration of Quantum Autoencoders for Real-Time Anomaly Detection in Collider Experiments

    Jul 22, 2026Ivan Ge, Sagar Addepalli, Abhilasha Dave +1Online Anomaly DetectionQuantum Machine Learning

    Department of Physics, Stanford University, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, 94305, CA, USA. · SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, 94025, CA, USA.

  8. Identity-Paired Progressive Depth Training: When Trainability Persists Beyond Expressibility

    Jul 18, 2026Athanasios Hadjidimoulas, Tirthak Patel, Anastasios KyrillidisQuantum Circuit ExpressibilityVariational Quantum Circuits

    Computer Science, Rice University · QuanTAS research cluster, Ken Kennedy Institute at Rice University

  9. Depth-Efficient Quantum Topological Data Analysis for Regime-Specific Detection of Financial Stress

    Jul 10, 2026Arul Rhik Mazumder, Shreyan Ronit MazumderQuantitative FinanceVariational Quantum Algorithms

    Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA, USA · Cambridge Rindge and Latin School Cambridge, MA, USA

  10. HamQASBench: A Hamiltonian-Informed Diagnostic Benchmark for Evaluating Quantum Architecture Search

    Jul 6, 2026Jiayang Niu, Akib Karim, Yan Wang +5Quantum Architecture SearchBenchmark Construction

    School of Computing Technologies RMIT University · Quantum Systems School of Computing Technologies RMIT University · Data61, CSIRO

  11. Ravines in quantum cost landscapes: opportunities for improved VQA predictions

    Jul 1, 2026Felix J. Beckmann, João F. BravoQuantum Machine LearningVariational Quantum Algorithms

    Fraunhofer Institute IAO, Stuttgart, Germany. · Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany.

  12. Entropy Estimation in Multi-Qutrit Systems via Variational and Classical Neural Networks

    Jun 18, 2026Sai Sakunthala Guddanti, Anil Prabhakar, Ria Rushin JosephConvolutional Neural NetworksVariational Quantum Algorithms

    Centre for Q. Info, Comm. and Computing, IIT Madras, Chennai 600036, India · Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, Chennai 600036, India · School of Information Technology, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia

  13. Adaptive directional gradients for parameterised quantum circuits

    Jun 8, 2026Brian Coyle, Snehal Raj, Virag Umathe +2Variational Quantum CircuitsAdaptive Gradient Methods

    School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK · LIP6, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France · QC Ware, Palo Alto, USA and Paris, France +1

  14. Classical State Preparation for Variational Quantum Algorithms via Reinforcement Learning

    May 22, 2026Gino Kwun, Dhanvi Bharadwaj, Gokul Subramanian RaviQuantum State PreparationQuantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm

    Computer Science and Engineering University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA

  15. Diagonal Adaptive Non-local Observables on Quantum Neural Networks

    May 14, 2026Huan-Hsin Tseng, Yan Li, Hsin-Yi Lin +1Variational Quantum CircuitsVariational Quantum Algorithms

    AI & ML Department Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton NY, USA · Department of Electrical Engineering The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA, USA · Wells Fargo New York NY, USA

  16. Zero-shot Quantum Neural Architecture Search

    May 12, 2026Tung Dao, Son N. Tran, Huynh Thi Thanh BinhQuantum Machine LearningNeural Architecture Search

    Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam · Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia

  17. Neural Quantum Spectral Operator Learning for Solving Partial Differential Equations

    May 12, 2026Chanyoung Kim, Myeonghwan Seong, Yujin Kim +2Hybrid Quantum-Classical MLPDE Operator Learning

    KAIST · Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yonsei University · Department of Applied Statistics, Yonsei University +2

  18. Adversarial Effects on Expressibility and Trainability in Distributed Variational Quantum Algorithms

    May 5, 2026Abhishek Sadhu, Sharu Theresa JoseQuantum Circuit ExpressibilityVariational Quantum Circuits

    School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham · Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom

  19. Barren Plateaus as Destructive Interference: A Diagnostic Framework and Implications for Structured Ansatzes

    May 2, 2026Pilsung KangBarren PlateausVariational Quantum Circuits

    Department of Software Science, Dankook University, Yongin, 16890, South Korea

  20. Trainability Beyond Linearity in Variational Quantum Objectives

    Apr 20, 2026Gordon Ma, Xiufan LiBarren PlateausVariational Quantum Circuits

    Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore, Singapore

  21. Adaptive H-EFT-VA: A Provably Safe Trajectory Through the Trainability-Expressibility Landscape of Variational Quantum Algorithms

    Apr 12, 2026Eyad I. B. HamidQuantum Circuit ExpressibilityVariational Quantum Algorithms

    Department of Physics, International University of Africa, Khartoum, Sudan

  22. Investigation of Automated Design of Quantum Circuits for Imaginary Time Evolution Methods Using Deep Reinforcement Learning

    Apr 9, 2026Ryo Suzuki, Shohei WatabeMax-CutQuantum Circuit Optimization

    Graduate School of Engineering and Science, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Toyosu 3-7-5, Tokyo 135-8548, Japan

  23. SpinGQE: A Generative Quantum Eigensolver for Spin Hamiltonians

    Mar 25, 2026Alexander Holden, Moinul Hossain Rahat, Nii Osae Osae DadeQuantum Circuit SynthesisVariational Quantum Algorithms

    Mindbeam AI† · Department of Computer and Data Sciences, Case Western Reserve University

  24. The Average Relative Entropy and Transpilation Depth determines the noise robustness in Variational Quantum Classifiers

    Mar 22, 2026Aakash Ravindra Shinde, Arianne Meijer - van de Griend, Jukka K. NurminenQuantum Machine LearningVariational Quantum Algorithms

    Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

  25. How to find expressible and trainable parameterized quantum circuits?

    Mar 15, 2026Peter Röseler, Dennis Willsch, Kristel MichielsenQuantum Circuit ExpressibilityVariational Quantum Circuits

    Jülich Supercomputing Centre, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany · Universität zu Köln, 50923 Köln, Germany · Faculty of Medical Engineering and Technomathematics, University of Applied Sciences Aachen, 52428 Jülich, Germany +1

  26. Solving Conic Programs over Sparse Graphs using a Variational Quantum Approach: The Case of the AC Optimal Power Flow

    Aug 30, 2025Thinh Viet Le, Mark M. Wilde, Vassilis KekatosOptimal Power FlowConstrained Optimization

    Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906, USA · School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA

  27. Reducing QPU Calls in Variational Quantum Algorithms via Classical Offloading of Gradient Computation

    Mar 20, 2025Rahul Bhowmick, Harsh Wadhwa, Avinash Singh +3Variational Quantum AlgorithmsQuantum Circuit Trainability

    Quantum Lab, Fujitsu Research of India · Quantum Laboratory, Fujitsu Research, Fujitsu Limited Japan

  28. Quantum State Preparation with the QNN-based SRBB Algorithm

    Mar 17, 2025Marco Mordacci, Giacomo Belli, Michele AmorettiVariational Quantum CircuitsQuantum State Preparation

    Quantum Software Laboratory University of Parma Parma, Italy