Requirements for the validation of a quantum advantage in Boson Sampling
Fulvio Flamini, Mattia Walschaers, Nicolò Spagnolo, Nathan Wiebe, Andreas Buchleitner, Fabio Sciarrino · arXiv (Cornell University) · 2019
Quantum algorithms provide advantages for specific computational and sampling tasks, though little attention has so far been dedicated to the validation of the output of experimental implementations of such algorithms. In this work we address this issue for the Boson Sampling problem, and propose an operational definition of validation. To evidence the actual need for refined validation techniques, we examine two recent protocols: Metropolized independent sampling, to classically simulate Boson Sampling, and a statistical benchmark to validate quantum interference. We show how the acceptance or rejection of numerically simulated data depends on the available sample size, as well as on the internal hyper-parameters and other practically relevant constraints. Our analysis provides general insights into the challenge of validation, and may inspire further research into the design of algorithms with a measurable quantum advantage.