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Application-level benchmarking of quantum computers using nonlocal game strategies

Running simple instances of quantum algorithms with a provable advantage is difficult given the current state of quantum hardware. For this reason, it is important to develop benchmarking tools and techniques that can test and validate the unique aspects of quantum hardware that are consistent with the predictions of quantum theory.

Publication Date: July 31, 2025

Authors: Jim Furches, Sarah Chehade, Kathleen Hamilton, Nathan Wiebe, and Carlos Ortiz Marrero

Abstract:

In a nonlocal game, two noncommunicating players cooperate to convince a referee that they possess a strategy that does not violate the rules of the game. Quantum strategies allow players to optimally win some games by performing joint measurements on a shared entangled state, but computing these strategies can be challenging. We present a variational quantum algorithm to compute quantum strategies for nonlocal games by encoding the rules of a nonlocal game into a Hamiltonian. We show how this algorithm can generate a short-depth optimal quantum strategy for a graph coloring game with a quantum advantage. This quantum strategy is then evaluated on fourteen different quantum hardware platforms to demonstrate its utility as a benchmark. Finally, we discuss potential sources of errors that can explain the observed decreased performance of the executed task and derive an expression for the number of samples required to accurately estimate the win rate in the presence of noise.

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