Distinguishing noisy boson sampling from classical simulations

Giving a convincing experimental evidence of the quantum supremacy over classical simulations is a challenging goal. Noise is considered to be the main problem in such a demonstration, hence it is urgent to understand the effect of noise. Recently found classical algorithms can efficiently approximate, to any small error, the output of boson sampling with finite-amplitude noise. In this work it is shown analytically and confirmed by numerical simulations that one can efficiently distinguish the output distribution of such a noisy boson sampling from the approximations accounting for low-order quantum multiboson interferences, what includes the mentioned classical algorithms. The number of samples required to tell apart the quantum and classical output distributions is strongly affected by the previously unexplored parameter: density of bosons, i.e., the ratio of total number of interfering bosons to number of input ports of interferometer. Such critical dependence is strikingly reminiscent of the quantum-to-classical transition in systems of identical particles, which sets in when the system size scales up while density of particles vanishes.

Automated summary

This research demonstrates the importance of noise in experiments showcasing quantum supremacy over classical simulations, and shows analytically and through numerical simulations that noisy boson sampling outputs can be efficiently distinguished from classical approximations. It also reveals that the critical parameter affecting the number of samples needed to differentiate between quantum and classical output distributions is the density of bosons, which exhibits characteristics of a quantum-to-classical transition in systems of identical particles.