Noisy Bayesian optimization for variational quantum eigensolvers

Abstract: The variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) is a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm used to find the ground state of a Hamiltonian using variational methods. In the context of this Lattice symposium, the procedure can be used to study lattice gauge theories (LGTs) in the Hamiltonian formulation. Bayesian optimization (BO) based on Gaussian process regression (GPR) is a powerful algorithm for finding the global minimum of a cost function, e.g. the energy, with a very low number of iterations using data affected by statistical noise. This work proposes an implementation of GPR and BO specifically tailored to perform VQE on quantum computers already available today.