Distributed photonic variational quantum eigensolver with parameterized weak measurements

Distributed photonic variational quantum eigensolver with parameterized weak measurements | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Distributed photonic variational quantum eigensolver with parameterized weak measurements Donghwa Lee, Bohdan Bilash, Jaehak Lee, Hyang-Tag Lim, Yosep Kim, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7264515/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 03 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in npj Quantum Information → Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract We demonstrate a two-qubit variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) implementation using two spatially separated single-photon processors connected via a 3 km optical fiber network. Our approach leverages local operations on pre-shared entanglement to evaluate two-qubit Hamiltonians. By incorporating parameterized weak measurement operations within the local operations framework, we enable access to the complete Hilbert space across distributed quantum processors – a capability typically requiring complex non-local operations. Our experimental results show accurate ground state energy estimation for Hamiltonians including H-He + cation and the Schwinger model, validating both the necessity of weak measurements and high-quality entanglement in distributed quantum computing. This work establishes a promising direction for resource-efficient, scalable quantum network architectures that maintain full computational capabilities through local operations and controlled entanglement manipulation. Physical sciences/Optics and photonics Physical sciences/Physics Quantum information Quantum simulation Quantum computing Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 03 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in npj Quantum Information → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 29 Sep, 2025 Reviews received at journal 19 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Sep, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 07 Sep, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 05 Aug, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 05 Aug, 2025 First submitted to journal 31 Jul, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7264515","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":513558139,"identity":"ce74f341-898e-4d61-84aa-2f4b48c2cc94","order_by":0,"name":"Donghwa Lee","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Donghwa","middleName":"","lastName":"Lee","suffix":""},{"id":513558140,"identity":"303554f4-50e1-4e3b-810b-69caa2d0f9ca","order_by":1,"name":"Bohdan Bilash","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Korea Institute of Science and Technology 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