Decision diagrams (DDs) have emerged as an efficient tool for simulating quantum circuits due to their capacity to exploit data redundancies in quantum states and quantum operations, enabling the efficient computation of probability amplitudes. However, their application in quantum machine learning (QML) has remained unexplored. This paper introduces variational decision diagrams (VDDs), an alternative graph structure that combines the structural benefits of DDs with the adaptability of variational methods for efficiently representing quantum states. We investigate the trainability of VDDs by applying them to the ground-state estimation problem for transverse-field Ising and Heisenberg Hamiltonians. Analysis of gradient variance suggests that training VDDs is possible, as no signs of vanishing gradients—also known as barren plateaus—are observed. This work provides insights into the use of decision diagrams in QML as an alternative to design and train variational Ansätze.

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• Heisenberg model
• Ising model
• Machine learning