MPI-DS Colloquium: Gain-based computing with coupled light and matter

Gain-based computing based on light-matter interactions is a novel approach to phys-ics-based hardware and physics-inspired algorithms. In gain-based computing, the complex optimisation problems are encoded in the gain and loss rates of driven-dissipative systems. The system is driven through a symmetry-breaking transition on the changing loss landscape until a mode that minimises losses is selected, manifesting the optimal solution to the original problem. This process allows for solving important combinatorial optimisation problems via mapping to Ising, XY, and k-local Hamilto-nians, emphasising the system's applicability across various physical platforms, in-cluding photonic, electronic, and atomic systems. In my talk, I will discuss and con-trast different approaches to physical realisation of gain-based computing, the influ-ence of phase space structures on system performance, and identify problems best suit-ed for these unconventional computing architectures.