Scientometric analysis of quantum-inspired metaheuristic algorithms

Quantum algorithms, based on the principles of quantum mechanics, offer significant parallel processing capabilities with a wide range of applications. Nature-inspired stochastic optimization algorithms have long been a research hotspot. The fusion of quantum mechanics with optimization methods can potentially address NP-hard problems more efficiently and exponentially faster. The potential advantages provided by the ground-breaking paradigm have expedited the scientific output of quantum-inspired optimization algorithms locale. Consequently, a pertinent investigation is required to explain how ground-breaking scientific advancements have evolved. The scientometric approach utilizes quantitative and qualitative techniques to analyze research publications to evaluate the structure of scientific knowledge. Henceforth, the current research presents a scientometric and systematic analysis of quantum-inspired metaheuristic algorithms (QiMs) literature from the Scopus database since its inception. The scientometric implications of the article offer a detailed exploration of the publication patterns, keyword co-occurrence network analysis, author co-citation analysis and country collaboration analysis corresponding to each opted category of QiMs. The analysis reveals that QiMs solely account to 26.66% of publication share in quantum computing and have experienced an impressive 42.59% growth rate in the past decade. Notably, power management, adiabatic quantum computation, and vehicle routing are prominent emerging application areas. An extensive systematic literature analysis identifies key insights and research gaps in the QiMs knowledge domain. Overall, the findings of the current article provide scientific cues to researchers and the academic fraternity for identifying the intellectual landscape and latest research trends of QiMs, thereby fostering innovation and informed decision-making.