From Hope to Heuristic: Realistic Runtime Estimates for Quantum Optimisation in NHEP

¹ Technical University of Applied Sciences Regensburg, Germany
² Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
³ Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
⁴ Jefferson Lab, VA, USA
⁵ Siemens AG, Technology, Munich, Germany

^* e-mail: maja.franz@othr.de
^** e-mail: melvin.strobl@kit.edu

Published online: 7 October 2025

Abstract

Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) computers, despite their limitations, present opportunities for near-term quantum advantages in Nuclear and High-Energy Physics (NHEP) when paired with specially designed quantum algorithms and processing units. This study focuses on core algorithms that solve optimization problems through the quadratic Ising or Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimisation model, specifically Quantum Annealing and the Quantum Approximate Optimisation Algorithm (QAOA).

In particular, we estimate runtimes and scalability for the task of particle Track Reconstruction (TR), a key computing challenge in NHEP, and investigate how the classical parameter space in QAOA, along with techniques like a Fourieranalysis based heuristic, can facilitate future quantum advantages. The findings indicate that lower frequency components in the parameter space are crucial for effective annealing schedules, suggesting that heuristics can improve resource efficiency while achieving near-optimal results. Overall, the study highlights the potential of NISQ computers in NHEP and the significance of co-design approaches and heuristic techniques in overcoming challenges in quantum algorithms.