Systems and methods for increasing diversity of samples

A method of iteratively operating a computing system to return samples having improved diversity, the method being performed by at least one processor, the method comprising:

• receiving a problem definition comprising a problem Hamiltonian defined over a set of variables;
• sampling one or more initial values for each variable of the set of variables from the problem Hamiltonian, until an increase in a diversity of the sampled initial values is below a first threshold sampling diversity;
• storing the one or more initial values for each variable of the set of variables in a set of samples;
• iteratively, until a termination criteria is met:
• selecting at least a subset of samples from the set of samples;
• generating a diversity Hamiltonian based on the at least a subset of samples from the set of samples;
• combining the problem Hamiltonian with the diversity Hamiltonian to generate an updated problem Hamiltonian;
• sampling one or more additional values for the set of variables from the updated problem Hamiltonian until an increase in a diversity of the sampled additional values is below a second threshold sampling diversity;
• storing the one or more additional values for the set of variables in the set of samples;
• and
• evaluating the termination criteria;
• and
• upon meeting the termination criteria, returning the set of samples.