Compare classical simulated annealing vs quantum annealing. Quantum tunneling allows escaping local minima that trap classical approaches.
Classical Simulated Annealing
Particle Energy landscape Local minimum (trap)
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Current Energy
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Best Found
Quantum Annealing
Particle (tunneling) Energy landscape Wavefunction spread
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Current Energy
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Best Found
Energy Landscape Designer
Click and drag to draw the energy landscape. The lowest point is the global minimum.
Controls
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0.95
40
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Comparison (50 Trials)
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Classical Wins
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Quantum Wins
Why quantum wins on rugged landscapes:
Classical SA can only move uphill with probability e^(-dE/T). As temperature decreases, it gets trapped in local minima.
Quantum annealing exploits quantum tunneling to pass through energy barriers without climbing over them. The tunneling probability depends on barrier width and height, not temperature alone.