# A Hybrid Quantum Neural Network to Analyse Big Experimental Powder X-ray Diffraction Data

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.22376 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.22376/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 8 of its 32 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 17 Sep 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 8 of 8)

- [Variational Quantum Algorithms](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.09265/) (2020)
- [Supervised learning with quantum enhanced feature spaces](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1804.11326/) (2018)
- [The power of quantum neural networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.00027/) (2020)
- [Barren Plateaus in Variational Quantum Computing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.00781/) (2024)
- [Exponential concentration in quantum kernel methods](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.11060/) (2022)
- [Learning models of quantum systems from experiments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.06169/) (2020)
- [Exponential quantum advantage in processing massive classical data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.07639/) (2026)
- [Mitigating exponential concentration in covariant quantum kernels for subspace and real-world data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.07915/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Quantitative analysis of experimental powder X-ray diffraction data remains challenging when evaluating complex multiphase materials and noisy measurements. We introduce a hybrid quantum neural network framework designed to extract quantitative parameters, such as phase weight fractions and scale factors, directly from one-dimensional powder diffraction patterns without iterative refinement. The model combines noise-aware classical simulator pre-training with fast downstream fine-tuning on quantum processing unit features, ensuring stability against hardware decoherence. We demonstrate the practical utility of this approach by deploying the trained network onto an IBM quantum computer to analyse experimental X-ray diffraction computed tomography datasets from a three-phase solid oxide fuel cell containing ca. 10,000 patterns and a four-phase lithium-ion battery containing ca. 20,000 patterns). The network successfully reconstructs quantitative spatial phase maps in strong agreement with classical Rietveld refinement, paving the way for using quantum computing hardware to analyse real-world materials characterisation data.