Counterdiabatic quantum optimization for efficient state preparation in the Schwinger model

@misc{laval2026counterdiabatic,
  title = {{Counterdiabatic quantum optimization for efficient state preparation in the Schwinger model}},
  author = {Ethan Laval and Bipasha Chakraborty and Stefano Cipolla},
  howpublished = {arXiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.31400},
  eprint = {2609.31400},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.31400},
}

TY  - UNPB
TI  - Counterdiabatic quantum optimization for efficient state preparation in the Schwinger model
AU  - Ethan Laval
AU  - Bipasha Chakraborty
AU  - Stefano Cipolla
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/25
PB  - arXiv
DO  - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.31400
UR  - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.31400
AB  - The Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA), whose design is underpinned by the adiabatic theorem, is one of the leading variational quantum algorithms for preparing the ground states of gauge theories. A recently proposed variant, DC-QAOA, incorporates counterdiabatic driving to accelerate the adiabatic process, reducing both circuit depth and runtime. In this work, we present a systematic analysis, from both theoretical and computational perspectives, of DC-QAOA and related counterdiabatic variants for preparing the ground state of the Schwinger model, the paradigmatic (1+1)-dimensional lattice gauge theory. Benchmarking these methods against standard QAOA, we show that counterdiabatic driving improves ground-state preparation while lowering circuit depth requirements. Our results establish counterdiabatic protocols as a practical route towards efficient quantum simulation of gauge theories.
ER  -