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Prefix-sum encoding for quantum annealing with application to haplotype inference

delete2026-08-05
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OA
AI
N
Nguyen-Viet-Dung Nghiem
L
Le Sy Vinh
B
Bon Trinh
T
Thang N. Dinh *
DOI:10.1140/epjqt/s40507-026-00543-6delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Quantum annealing promises advantages for combinatorial optimization, but current hardware remains limited by sparse qubit connectivity. Encoding constrained problems onto these devices typically requires auxiliary variables that introduce dense couplings, degrading performance. Here we present prefix-sum encoding, which transforms coverage constraints into sequential variable chains with only nearest-neighbor interactions. We prove that a relaxed enforcement scheme, tracking whether coverage occurred rather than where, is mathematically equivalent to standard coverage while creating beneficial degeneracy in the solution landscape. Applied to haplotype inference, a hard problem in computational genomics, our encoding reduces qubit requirements by 18% and improves success rates from 35–40% to 54% on D-Wave quantum hardware. These gains arise purely from reformulation, demonstrating that how problems are encoded can be as important as the hardware or algorithms used to solve them. Our encoding extends naturally to one-hot selection and resource packing constraints, establishing broad applicability across combinatorial optimization.
Keywords:
Quantum Annealing
Haplotype Inference
QUBO
Combinatorial Optimization

Journal

EPJ Quantum Technology cover
EPJ Quantum Technology
IF:
5.6
Papers:
517
Citations:
1.1K

Organization

U
university of engineering and technology
Scholars:
486
Papers: 274
Citations: 0
D
department of pathology
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1.2K
Papers: 609
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D
department of computer science
Scholars:
542
Papers: 284
Citations: 0
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