Multi-Boson Correlation Sampling with Multi-mode Thermal Sources

Abstract: The determination of the computational complexity of the boson sampling problem with single boson sources has opened a novel research direction in the quantum computing field. Some research effort has also been devoted towards the use of different input sources where the sampling from the output distribution of a linear interferometer is still a complex task not achievable by a classical device. In this letter, we discuss the use of multi-mode thermal sources, based on a generalization of the boson sampling problem which relies on time-correlation measurements. We derive, for any possible sample, two equivalent formulations for the respective multi-boson correlation functions in terms of matrix permanents. The properties of these permanents emerging from the physics of multi-boson interference raise essential questions in the field of complexity theory. Our results are a manifestation of the physics behind correlated measurements in either photonic or atomic interferometers with bosonic thermal sources. This fascinating physics paves the way towards important applications not only in quantum computing but also in quantum metrology and quantum communication, by taking advantage of different kinds of bosonic sources.