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Unraveling reverse annealing: A study of D-Wave quantum annealers

Vrinda Mehta1, Hans De Raedt1, Kristel Michielsen1,2,3, and Fengping Jin1

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Phys. Rev. A 112, 012414 – Published 14 July, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/vfxh-gjgy

Abstract

D-Wave quantum annealers offer reverse annealing as a feature allowing them to refine solutions to optimization problems. This paper investigates the influence of key parameters, such as annealing times and reversal distance, on the behavior of reverse annealing by studying models containing up to 1000 qubits. Through the analysis of theoretical models and experimental data, we explore the interplay between quantum and classical processes in describing the empirical data. Our findings provide a deeper understanding that can better equip users to fully harness the potential of the D-Wave annealers.

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Phys. Rev. A 112, 012414– Published 14 July, 2025
  • Received 24 February 2025
  • Accepted 12 June 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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