Quantum approach to classical thermodynamics and optimization

Abstract

The goal of combinatorial optimization is to find the optimal solution that minimizes a given cost function E. Since the configuration space is typically large, finding such a solution may be a time-consuming task, even when an efficient description of the cost function is provided. Some problems in combinatorial optimization can be then classified according to their computational complexity. This complexity is determined by the number of resources (time and space) needed to find the optimal solution, and the relevant question is how the complexity depends on the problem size (e.g., the dimension of the configuration space, D). © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.