Tensor network states in time-bin quantum optics

TL;DR

This paper introduces tensor network states to model large-scale time-bin quantum optics experiments, enabling efficient classical simulation and analysis of complex quantum correlations.

Contribution

It formulates linear quantum optics using tensor networks and analyzes correlations in time-bin interference, proposing architectures for scalable boson sampling.

Findings

Tensor network states effectively simulate large time-bin quantum systems.

Identified architectures for high-complexity boson sampling.

Analyzed quantum and classical correlations in time-bin interference.

Abstract

The current shift in the quantum optics community towards large-size experiments -- with many modes and photons -- necessitates new classical simulation techniques that go beyond the usual phase space formulation of quantum mechanics. To address this pressing demand we formulate linear quantum optics in the language of tensor network states. As a toy model, we extensively analyze the quantum and classical correlations of time-bin interference in a single fiber loop. We then generalize our results to more complex time-bin quantum setups and identify different classes of architectures for high-complexity and low-overhead boson sampling experiments.