Change priority of method selection of noise simulation

releasenotes/notes/fix_automethod_stabilizer-90963b34bd5b4439.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+---
+fixes:
+  - |
+    Fixed `stabilizer` was selected with `method="automatic" ` when simulating
+    circuits with rotational gates with noise models for small number of qubits
+    even it is faster to calculate with `density_matrix` method.
+    This fix checks if `density_matrix` method with noise model is faster or not
+    at first and then check using `stabilizer` method.
+    This is side effect of implementing rotational gates in stabilizer PR #1938

src/controllers/aer_controller.hpp

@@ -833,22 +833,22 @@ Controller::simulation_methods(const Config &config,
 Method Controller::automatic_simulation_method(
     const Config &config, const Circuit &circ,
     const Noise::NoiseModel &noise_model) const {
-  // If circuit and noise model are Clifford run on Stabilizer simulator
-  if (validate_method(Method::stabilizer, config, circ, noise_model, false)) {
-    return Method::stabilizer;
-  }
   // For noisy simulations we enable the density matrix method if
   // shots > 2 ** num_qubits. This is based on a rough estimate that
   // a single shot of the density matrix simulator is approx 2 ** nq
   // times slower than a single shot of statevector due the increased
   // dimension
-  if (noise_model.has_quantum_errors() && circ.num_qubits < 64 &&
+  if (noise_model.has_quantum_errors() && circ.num_qubits < 30 &&
       circ.shots > (1ULL << circ.num_qubits) &&
       validate_method(Method::density_matrix, config, circ, noise_model,
                       false) &&
       circ.can_sample) {
     return Method::density_matrix;
   }
+  // If circuit and noise model are Clifford run on Stabilizer simulator
+  if (validate_method(Method::stabilizer, config, circ, noise_model, false)) {
+    return Method::stabilizer;
+  }
 
   // If the special conditions for stabilizer or density matrix are
   // not satisfied we choose simulation method based on supported

test/terra/backends/aer_simulator/test_auto_method.py

@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ class TestSimulationMethod(SimulatorTestCase):
     # ---------------------------------------------------------------------
 
     def test_auto_method_clifford_circuits(self):
-        """Test statevector method is used for Clifford circuit"""
+        """Test stabilizer method is used for Clifford circuit"""
         # Test circuits
         backend = self.backend()
         shots = 100
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ def test_auto_method_clifford_circuits(self):
         self.compare_result_metadata(result, circuits, "method", "stabilizer")
 
     def test_auto_method_clifford_circuits_and_reset_noise(self):
-        """Test statevector method is used for Clifford circuit"""
+        """Test stabilizer method is used for Clifford circuit"""
         # Test noise model
         noise_circs = [Reset(), IGate()]
         noise_probs = [0.5, 0.5]
@@ -69,31 +69,47 @@ def test_auto_method_clifford_circuits_and_reset_noise(self):
         backend = self.backend(noise_model=noise_model)
 
         # Test circuits
-        shots = 100
+        shots = 4
         circuits = ref_2q_clifford.cz_gate_circuits_deterministic(final_measure=True)
         result = backend.run(circuits, shots=shots).result()
         success = getattr(result, "success", False)
         self.assertTrue(success)
         self.compare_result_metadata(result, circuits, "method", "stabilizer")
 
     def test_auto_method_clifford_circuits_and_pauli_noise(self):
-        """Test statevector method is used for Clifford circuit"""
+        """Test stabilizer method is used for Clifford circuit"""
         # Noise Model
         error = pauli_error([["XX", 0.5], ["II", 0.5]])
         noise_model = NoiseModel()
         noise_model.add_all_qubit_quantum_error(error, ["cz", "cx"])
         backend = self.backend(noise_model=noise_model)
 
         # Test circuits
-        shots = 100
+        shots = 4
         circuits = ref_2q_clifford.cz_gate_circuits_deterministic(final_measure=True)
         result = backend.run(circuits, shots=shots).result()
         success = getattr(result, "success", False)
         self.assertTrue(success)
         self.compare_result_metadata(result, circuits, "method", "stabilizer")
 
+    def test_auto_method_clifford_circuits_and_pauli_noise_with_many_shots(self):
+        """Test density_matrix method is used for Clifford circuit"""
+        # Noise Model
+        error = pauli_error([["XX", 0.5], ["II", 0.5]])
+        noise_model = NoiseModel()
+        noise_model.add_all_qubit_quantum_error(error, ["cz", "cx"])
+        backend = self.backend(noise_model=noise_model)
+
+        # Test circuits
+        shots = 1000
+        circuits = ref_2q_clifford.cz_gate_circuits_deterministic(final_measure=True)
+        result = backend.run(circuits, shots=shots).result()
+        success = getattr(result, "success", False)
+        self.assertTrue(success)
+        self.compare_result_metadata(result, circuits, "method", "density_matrix")
+
     def test_auto_method_clifford_circuits_and_unitary_noise(self):
-        """Test statevector method is used for Clifford circuit"""
+        """Test density_matrix method is used for Clifford circuit"""
         # Noise Model
         error = mixed_unitary_error(
             [(Pauli("XX").to_matrix(), 0.5), (Pauli("II").to_matrix(), 0.5)]
@@ -110,7 +126,7 @@ def test_auto_method_clifford_circuits_and_unitary_noise(self):
         self.compare_result_metadata(result, circuits, "method", "density_matrix")
 
     def test_auto_method_clifford_circuits_and_kraus_noise(self):
-        """Test statevector method is used for Clifford circuit"""
+        """Test density_matrix method is used for Clifford circuit"""
         # Noise Model
         error = amplitude_damping_error(0.5)
         noise_model = NoiseModel()

test/terra/backends/aer_simulator/test_measure.py

@@ -142,7 +142,8 @@ def test_measure_sampling_with_quantum_noise(self, method, device):
         targets = ref_measure.measure_counts_deterministic(shots)
         result = backend.run(circuits, shots=shots).result()
         self.assertSuccess(result)
-        sampling = method == "density_matrix" or method == "tensor_network"
+        method_used = result.results[0].metadata.get("method")
+        sampling = method_used == "density_matrix" or method_used == "tensor_network"
         self.compare_result_metadata(result, circuits, "measure_sampling", sampling)
 
     # ---------------------------------------------------------------------

test/terra/backends/aer_simulator/test_thread_management.py

@@ -147,7 +147,9 @@ def test_parallel_defaults_single_ideal(self):
     def test_parallel_defaults_single_noise(self):
         """Test parallel thread assignment defaults"""
         backend = self.backend(
-            noise_model=self.dummy_noise_model(), **self.backend_options_parallel()
+            method="statevector",
+            noise_model=self.dummy_noise_model(),
+            **self.backend_options_parallel(),
         )
         max_threads = self.available_threads()
 
@@ -209,7 +211,9 @@ def test_parallel_defaults_multi_ideal(self):
     def test_parallel_defaults_multi_noise(self):
         """Test parallel thread assignment defaults"""
         backend = self.backend(
-            noise_model=self.dummy_noise_model(), **self.backend_options_parallel()
+            method="statevector",
+            noise_model=self.dummy_noise_model(),
+            **self.backend_options_parallel(),
         )
         max_threads = self.available_threads()
 
@@ -295,7 +299,9 @@ def test_parallel_thread_assignment(self, custom_max_threads):
             # Test single circuit, with noise
             # Parallel experiments should always be 1
             # parallel shots should be greater than 1
-            backend = self.backend(noise_model=self.dummy_noise_model(), **parallel_opts)
+            backend = self.backend(
+                method="statevector", noise_model=self.dummy_noise_model(), **parallel_opts
+            )
             circuits = self.dummy_circuit(1)
             result = backend.run(circuits, shots=shots).result()
             for threads in self.threads_used(result):
@@ -531,6 +537,7 @@ def test_parallel_shot_thread_multi_noise(self):
 
         max_threads = self.available_threads()
         backend = self.backend(
+            method="statevector",
             noise_model=self.dummy_noise_model(),
             **self.backend_options_parallel(shot_threads=max_threads),
         )