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    Quantum Annealing Algorithms for Estimating Ising Partition Functions

    Haowei Li1,2,3, Zhiyuan Yao4,*, and Xingze Qiu1,†

    • 1School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
    • 2Laboratory of Quantum Information, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
    • 3Institute for Advanced Study, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
    • 4Lanzhou Center for Theoretical Physics, Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics of Gansu Province, Key Laboratory of Quantum Theory and Applications of MoE, Gansu Provincial Research Center for Basic Disciplines of Quantum Physics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China

    • *Contact author: yaozy@lzu.edu.cn
    • †Contact author: xingze@tongji.edu.cn

    Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 100601 – Published 12 March, 2026

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/8gmb-p619

    Abstract

    Estimating partition functions of Ising spin glasses is a cornerstone of statistical physics and computational science, yet it remains classically challenging due to its #P-hard complexity. While Jarzynski’s equality offers a theoretical pathway, its practical application is crippled at low temperatures by rare, divergent statistical fluctuations. Here, we introduce a quantum protocol that overcomes this fundamental limitation by synergizing reverse quantum annealing with optimized nonequilibrium initial distributions. Our method dramatically suppresses the estimator variance, achieving saturation in the low-temperature regime where existing methods fail. Numerical benchmarks on the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick spin glass and the 3-SAT problem demonstrate that our protocol reduces computational scaling exponents by over an order of magnitude (e.g., from ∼8.5 to ∼0.5), despite retaining exponential system-size dependence. Crucially, our protocol circumvents stringent adiabatic constraints, making it feasible for near-term quantum devices like superconducting qubits, trapped ions, and Rydberg atom arrays. This Letter provides a methodological framework for quantum-enhanced estimation in spin glass thermodynamics and beyond by harnessing nonadiabatic quantum dynamics to address a classically difficult problem.

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