Behavioral Heterogeneity as Quantum-Inspired Representation

arXiv cs.LG / 3/25/2026

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Key Points

  • The paper argues that treating driver heterogeneity as fixed labels or discrete regimes oversimplifies inherently dynamic driving behavior.
  • It proposes a quantum-inspired representation where each driver is modeled as an evolving latent state expressed as a density matrix with structured mathematical properties.
  • Behavioral observations are incorporated using non-linear Random Fourier Features to map driving data into the model’s representation space.
  • The state evolution mechanism combines temporal persistence with context-dependent activation of behavioral profiles, enabling profiles to change over time.
  • Experiments on empirical driving data and TGSIM (Third Generation Simulation Data) demonstrate extraction and analysis of driving profiles using the proposed method.

Abstract

Driver heterogeneity is often reduced to labels or discrete regimes, compressing what is inherently dynamic into static categories. We introduce quantum-inspired representation that models each driver as an evolving latent state, presented as a density matrix with structured mathematical properties. Behavioral observations are embedded via non-linear Random Fourier Features, while state evolution blends temporal persistence of behavior with context-dependent profile activation. We evaluate our approach on empirical driving data, Third Generation Simulation Data (TGSIM), showing how driving profiles are extracted and analyzed.