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arXiv:2410.01572 · Physical Review Research

Toward quantum advantage with photonic state injection

Léo Monbroussou, Eliott Z. Mamon, Hugo Thomas, Verena Yacoub, Ulysse Chabaud, Elham Kashefi

Published Jul 11, 2025• 9 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We propose a new scheme for near-term photonic quantum devices that allows us to increase the expressive power of the quantum models beyond what linear optics can do. This scheme relies upon state injection, a measurement-based technique that can produce states that are more controllable, and solve learning tasks that are believed to be intractable classically. We explain how circuits made of linear optical architectures separated by state injections are well-suited for experimental implementation. In addition, we give theoretical results regarding the evolution of the purity of the resulting states, and we discuss how it impacts the distinguishability of the circuit outputs. Finally, we study a computational subroutine of learning algorithms named probability estimation, and we show that the state injection scheme we propose may offer a potential quantum advantage in a regime that can be more easily achieved than state-of-the-art adaptive techniques. Our analysis offers new possibilities for near-term advantage that rely on overcoming fewer experimental difficulties.

DOI
10.1103/physrevresearch.7.033051

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We propose a new scheme for near-term photonic quantum devices that allows us to increase the expressive power of the quantum models beyond what linear optics can do. This scheme relies upon state injection, a measurement-based technique that can produce states that are more controllable, and solve learning tasks that are believed to be intractable classically. We explain how circuits made of linear optical architectures separated by state injections are well-suited for experimental implementation. In addition, we give theoretical results regarding the evolution of the purity of the resulting states, and we discuss how it impacts the distinguishability of the circuit outputs. Finally, we study a computational subroutine of learning algorithms named probability estimation, and we show that the state injection scheme we propose may offer a potential quantum advantage in a regime that can be more easily achieved than state-of-the-art adaptive techniques. Our analysis offers new possibilities for near-term advantage that rely on overcoming fewer experimental difficulties.
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The generation and manipulation of quantum states of light has historically played a critical role in the development of quantum information science: from the first violation of Bell’s inequality to the more recent development of near-term quantum algorithms such as the variational quantum eigensolver. In this talk, I present a new frontier for photons at the intersection of quantum mechanics and machine learning. I will first provide a short introduction to the field of quantum photonics, then demonstrate how quantum photonic processors can accelerate both quantum and classical machine learning. Finally, I show how optimization techniques can enhance large-scale quantum control and provide a new path towards efficient verification of near-term quantum processors.
Boson Sampling, a computational task believed to be classically hard to simulate, is expected to hold promise for demonstrating quantum computational advantage using near-term quantum devices. However, noise in experimental implementations poses a significant challenge, potentially rendering Boson Sampling classically simulable and compromising its classical intractability. Numerous studies have proposed classical algorithms that can efficiently simulate Boson Sampling under various noise models, particularly as noise rates increase with circuit depth. To address this challenge, we investigate the viability of achieving quantum computational advantage through Boson Sampling implemented with shallow-depth linear optical circuits. In particular, as the average-case hardness of estimating output probabilities of Boson Sampling is a crucial ingredient in demonstrating its classical intractability, we make progress on establishing the average-case hardness of Boson Sampling confined to logarithmic-depth regimes. We also obtain the average-case hardness for logarithmic-depth Fock-state Boson Sampling subject to lossy environments and for the logarithmic-depth Gaussian Boson Sampling. By providing complexity-theoretical backgrounds for the classical simulation hardness of logarithmic-depth Boson Sampling, we expect that our findings will mark a crucial step towards a more noise-tolerant demonstration of quantum advantage with shallow-depth Boson Sampling.