Analog quantum approximate optimization algorithm for solving the weighted MaxCut problem on three-dimensional single-atom Rydberg array

arXiv:2611.13796v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: We theoretically investigate an analog implementation of the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) for the weighted maximum cut problem (MaxCut) problem. The protocol uses a three-dimensional array of individually trapped Rydberg atoms driven by globally addressed laser pulses, with site-dependent detunings applied near the Rydberg resonance. As benchmarks, we consider twenty randomly weighted 3-regular graphs with 12 vertices each. Problem weights are encoded directly in the interatomic interaction energies by choosing appropriate three-dimensional atom positions. We compare two parameter-optimization strategies: discretized quantum annealing and warm-start initialization using a graph neural network (GNN).