ARDNS-FN-Quantum: A Quantum-Enhanced Reinforcement Learning Framework with Cognitive-Inspired Adaptive Exploration for Dynamic Environments

Abstract

Reinforcement learning (RL) has transformed sequential decision making, yet traditional algorithms like Deep Q-Networks (DQNs) and Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) often struggle with efficient exploration, stability, and adaptability in dynamic environments. This study presents ARDNS-FN-Quantum (Adaptive Reward-Driven Neural Simulator with Quantum enhancement), a novel framework that integrates a 2-qubit quantum circuit for action selection, a dual-memory system inspired by human cognition, and adaptive exploration strategies modulated by reward variance and curiosity. Evaluated in a 10X10 grid-world over 20,000 episodes, ARDNS-FN-Quantum achieves a 99.5% success rate (versus 81.3% for DQN and 97.0% for PPO), a mean reward of 9.0528 across all episodes (versus 1.2941 for DQN and 7.6196 for PPO), and an average of 46.7 steps to goal (versus 135.9 for DQN and 62.5 for PPO). In the last 100 episodes, it records a mean reward of 9.1652 (versus 7.0916 for DQN and 9.0310 for PPO) and 37.2 steps to goal (versus 52.7 for DQN and 53.4 for PPO). Graphical analyses, including learning curves, steps-to-goal trends, reward variance, and reward distributions, demonstrate ARDNS-FN-Quantum's superior stability (reward variance 5.424 across all episodes versus 252.262 for DQN and 76.583 for PPO) and efficiency. By bridging quantum computing, cognitive science, and RL, ARDNS-FN-Quantum offers a scalable, human-like approach to adaptive learning in uncertain environments, with potential applications in robotics, autonomous systems, and decision-making under uncertainty.