Hybrid Classical-Quantum Computing in Geophysical Inverse Problems: The Case of Quantum Annealing for Residual Statics Estimation

Recent progress in geophysics can be attributed to developments in heterogeneous HPC architectures, with one of the next major leaps being forecasted to be due to quantum computers. It is, however, very difficult to find the right combination of hardware, algorithms and a use-case. This is especially true for applications which have to be simultaneously: relevant and operating at scales where problems become difficult to solve using classical means. Maximizing stack-power for improved near surface characterization and velocity model building, an NP-hard combinatorial optimization problem, appears to naturally fit a particular type of quantum computing known as quantum annealing. We present the quantum-native formulation of this problem. Furthermore, in order to improve the probability of success we embed it in a hybrid classical-quantum workflow. We present the results on controlled experiments run using a 5000-qubit machine and discuss the impact of different classical to quantum problem re-formulations.