{
  "abstract": "Combinatorial optimization is a leading target for quantum algorithms, but finite-depth QAOA can suffer from strong diabatic errors when the interpolation Hamiltonian has small, or exponentially small, spectral gaps. We propose a Pauli-sparse counterdiabatic extension of linear-ramp QAOA based on the regularised adiabatic gauge potential \\[ \\bigl(\\mathcal L_H^2+ηI\\bigr)A_λ^{(η)} = -\\mathrm{i}\\mathcal L_H(\\partial_λH), \\qquad \\mathcal L_H(X)=[H,X]. \\] Instead of computing a dense AGP, we solve this equation approximately by an inexact conjugate-gradient method in Pauli coordinates, truncating the Pauli expansion during the iteration to obtain a gate-budget-aware set of implementable rotations. The selected support is then improved by a Galerkin refit and certified by an a posteriori residual bound. The regularization parameter \\(η\\) acts as an energy-resolution scale: it suppresses transitions below \\(\\sqrtη\\) while retaining larger-gap transitions. Thus, the method can avoid resolving exponentially small splittings inside a low-energy solution manifold while reducing leakage away from it. Numerical experiments on Ferromagnetic Chain (FC) and perturbed FC--MaxCut/MarketSplit instances show that the resulting LR-CD-QAOA ansatz improves approximation ratios over the uncorrected linear ramp, especially in regimes where LR-QAOA remains far from the optimum. Overall, the proposed regularized LR-CD-QAOA framework substantially broadens the practical applicability of QAOA to QUBO optimization by improving its robustness across heterogeneous problem landscapes, including instances with near-degenerate low-energy structures and small spectral gaps.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2606.28536",
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Stefano Cipolla"
    },
    {
      "name": "Fabio Durastante"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3jjwfw13b2f64.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2606.28536",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "3jjwfw13b2f64",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.28536",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "math.OC"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "quant-ph"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1702|Quantum Computing Algorithms and Architecture"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7166730082",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2606.28536",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-23",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3jjwfw13b2f64.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:35:15Z",
      "native_id": "2606.28536",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.28536"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "mathematics",
      "origin": "arxiv:math.OC",
      "subfield": "optimisation-control"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:quant-ph",
      "subfield": "quantum"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Pauli-Sparse regularised Counterdiabatic Shortcuts for Linear-Ramp QAOA",
  "title_text": "Pauli-Sparse regularised Counterdiabatic Shortcuts for Linear-Ramp QAOA",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:35:19Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3jjwfw13b2f64",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}