can efficiently model and optimize the quantum state
generated by the ansatz.
There are various tensor network ansatzes
available, Matrix Product State (MPS) and Tree
Tensor Network (TTN) being among the most widely
used. However, current implementations of MPS and
TTN are generally applicable only when the number
of qubits, n, is in the form 𝑛=2
, where 𝑥 is an
integer (e.g., 1, 2, 3, ...). This requirement limits their
applicability, as not all quantum problems require a
qubit count that fits this specific pattern. If 𝑛 does not
equal 2
it becomes necessary to either pad the
system with additional qubits or to shrink the network
to fit the required qubit count. Padding the system
adds unnecessary complexity to the model,
introducing extra qubits that do not carry useful
information, which can increase the computational
resources needed without improving performance.
On the other hand, shrinking the network to match the
required qubit count often results in a loss of accuracy
and effectiveness in the ansatz.
By developing an ansatz that is flexible and
scalable without the need for such padding or
shrinking, performance can be significantly
improved. Such an ansatz would streamline the
computational process, making it more efficient and
better suited to handling problems with arbitrary qubit
counts. Additionally, this flexibility would allow for
more efficient utilization of quantum hardware and
avoid the pitfalls of excess qubit overhead or reduced
expressibility, ultimately enhancing both the
accuracy and scalability of the solution.
This work introduces a novel approach for
applying tensor-network architectures to problems of
arbitrary size, without imposing constraints on the
number of qubits. We experimentally evaluate the
efficiency of the proposed ansatz through metrics
such as fidelity, expressibility, and entanglement
strength. Furthermore, we showcase the trainability
of our ansatz by implementing a quantum neural
network classifier to classify the MNIST handwritten
image dataset (Y. LeCun et al., 1998).
1.1 Tree Tensor Network Ansatz
A Tree Tensor Network (TTN) is a hierarchically
structured tensor network resembling a tree and can
be represented as an acyclic graph T = (G, A) where
A denotes tensors (multi-dimensional arrays)
connected at their indices, and G represents the graph.
An index is a label that connects two or more tensors,
representing the shared dimensions across which the
tensors interact. In this structure, the nodes
correspond to tensors, while the edges represent
contracted dimensions between them. Any n-qubit
TTN ansatz can be described by 𝑛 open indices and a
tree-like structure.
To construct a TTN that represents a quantum
state of dimension 2
𝑛
, begin by connecting each of
the 𝑛 open indices to a node, labeling each node
uniquely to form the leaves of the tree. At each
hierarchical level, group the nodes into pairs, creating
two-index tensors to capture local entanglement
between the qubits. On ascending the hierarchy,
continue merging pairs of tensors at each subsequent
level. The new tensors formed will have three indices:
two inherited from the previous lower-level tensors
and one internal connection to the next level,
encapsulating the entanglement between larger
groups of qubits. This recursive process is repeated
until only a single root tensor remains, which captures
the global entanglement of the entire quantum state.
Figure 1 (
Guala et al., 2023) illustrates a Tree
Tensor Network (TTN) on the left, and its equivalent
quantum circuit representation on the right, both
corresponding to the process of constructing a
quantum ansatz. The nodes 𝑣
,𝑣
,𝑣
,𝑣
,𝑣
,𝑣
represent tensors. 𝑣
,𝑣
,𝑣
,𝑣
are leaf nodes
corresponding to the initial qubits or input tensors.
The intermediate nodes 𝑣
,𝑣
represent tensors
that encapsulate the local correlations between the
qubit pairs.The root node 𝑣
at the top encapsulates
the global entanglement of the entire quantum state,
combining all previous layers. The edges between
nodes represent tensor contractions, where shared
indices are summed over to capture the entanglement
between qubits or groups of qubits at different levels
of the hierarchy. The circuit on the right reflects the
same entanglement structure as the TTN, represented
as quantum gates. The input qubits, initialized to ∣0⟩,
correspond to the leaf nodes of the TTN. The first
level of gates entangles the initial qubits (matching
the first level of tensor nodes in the TTN). Subsequent
levels represent further entanglement operations,
corresponding to higher levels in the TTN, until the
root node is reached.
2 PROPOSED ARBITRARY
QUBIT COUNT TTN
We propose a method for constructing quantum
circuits using a hierarchical tree structure, designed to
handle any number of qubits. At each level of the tree,
qubits (or nodes) are paired to establish entanglement.