Constraint Programming to Discover One-Flip Local Optima of Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization Problems

Abstract: The broad applicability of Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) constitutes a general-purpose modeling framework for combinatorial optimization problems and are a required format for gate array and quantum annealing computers. QUBO annealers as well as other solution approaches benefit from starting with a diverse set of solutions with local optimality an additional benefit. This paper presents a new method for generating a set of one-flip local optima leveraging constraint programming. Further, as demonstrated in experimental testing, analysis of the solution set allows the generation of soft constraints to help guide the optimization process.