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    "headline": "A Better Gradient Diagnostic Did Not Mean a Better Minimum",
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    "dek": "Matched controls found no resolved final-energy gain from one projected quantum-optimizer direction.",
    "summary": "Matched controls found no resolved final-energy gain from one projected quantum-optimizer direction.",
    "body_text": "Tests on transverse-field Ising instances found that a projection method could improve a gradient-organization measure while worsening final energy. Controls matched on update norm and probe budget did not isolate a final-energy benefit from the projected direction.",
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      "title": "arXiv preprint 2609.21243",
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