On the Complexity of Decoded Quantum Interferometry

We study the complexity of Decoded Quantum Interferometry (DQI), a quantum algorithm for approximate optimization. First, we show that the algorithm resists classical simulation strategies based on locating outputs with large probabilities. We then prove that DQI can be simulated at a low level of the polynomial hierarchy, posing challenges to standard quantum supremacy arguments. We further show that DQI is a constructive solution to a classical coding-theoretic bound based on the MacWilliams identity. Lastly, we interpret DQI as preparing low-energy states of a quantum simple harmonic oscillator, a viewpoint we believe suggests a physics-motivated route to generalizing DQI.