A quantum GAN for entanglement detection and image classification

Machine learning can be used as a systematic method to non-algorithmically program quantum computers. Quantum machine learning enables us to perform computations without breaking down an algorithm into its gate building blocks, eliminating that difficult step and potentially reducing unnecessary complexity. In addition, the machine learning approach is robust to both noise and to decoherence, which is ideal for running on inherently noisy NISQ devices which are limited in the number of qubits available for error correction. Here we apply our prior work in quantum machine learning technique, to create a QGAN, a quantum analog to the classical Stylenet GANs developed by Kerras for image generation and classification. A quantum system is used as a generator and a separate quantum system is used as a discriminator. The generator Hamiltonian quantum parameters are augmented by quantum style parameters which play the role of the style parameters used by Kerras. Both generator parameters are trained in a GAN MinMax problem along with quantum parameters of the discriminator Hamiltonian. We choose a problem to demonstrate the QGAN that has purely quantum information. The task is to generate and discriminate quantum product states. Real product states are generated to be detected and separated from fake quantum product states generated by the quantum generator. The problem of detecting quantum product states is chosen to demonstrate the QGAN because is well known as purely quantum mechanical, has no classical analog and is an open problem for quantum product states of more than 2 qubits. With proper encoding of image pixels into quantum states as density matrices, the method demonstrated here is applicable to GAN image generation and detection that can be hosted on and take advantage of the nature of quantum computers.

James E. Steck, Elizabeth C. Behrman · 2024