Variational Quantum Optimization of Noisy Polarization Qubit Experiments

arXiv:2610.33290v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Quantum networking enables advanced communication protocols, distributed quantum computing, and enhanced sensing. These applications are often hindered by current realizations of quantum network nodes, which utilize noisy and imperfect hardware. Here, we apply variational optimization to counteract the effects of such imperfections. We parameterize network protocols for use with variational methods and then use these methods to optimize simple prepare-and-measure protocols on an optical testbed as a proof-of-principle demonstration. We demonstrate automated polarization compensation, achieving results comparable to conventional methods.