Quantum Colloquium — Quantum Supremacy Via Boson Sampling: Theory And Practice

I'll survey the challenges of demonstrating quantum supremacy via BosonSampling, particularly in light of the striking announcement in late 2020 by a group in Hefei, China to have built a BosonSampling device with 50-70 detected photons. I'll discuss the advantages and disadvantages of BosonSampling compared to Random Circuit Sampling (what the Google group demonstrated in 2019) and other NISQ quantum supremacy proposals; and I'll highlight the theoretical open problems that have emerged as the most pressing.