article published Jan-Lucas Eickmann author 736650009-0008-6524-7684 Kai-Hong Luo author 363890000-0003-1008-4976 Mikhail Roiz author 114114 Jonas Lammers author Simone Atzeni author 98338 Cheeranjiv Pandey author Florian Lütkewitte author Reza G. Shirazi author Fabian Schlue author 63579 Benjamin Brecht author 271500000-0003-4140-0556 Vladimir V. Rybkin author Michael Stefszky author 42777 Christine Silberhorn author 26263 288 department 623 department 15 department PhoQuant: Photonische Quantencomputer - Quantencomputing Testplattform project Simulating vibronic spectra is a central task in physical chemistry, offering insight into important properties of molecules. Recently, it has been experimentally demonstrated that photonic platforms based on Gaussian boson sampling (GBS) are capable of performing these simulations. However, whether an actual GBS approach is required depends on the molecule under investigation. To develop a better understanding on the requirements for simulating vibronic spectra, we explore connections between theoretical approximations in physical chemistry and their photonic counterparts. Mapping these approximations into photonics, we show that for certain molecules the GBS approach is unnecessary. We place special emphasis on the linear coupling approximation, which in photonics corresponds to sampling from multiple coherent states. By implementing this approach in experiments, we demonstrate improved similarities over previously reported GBS results for formic acid and identify the particular attributes that a molecule must exhibit for this, and other approximations, to be valid. These results highlight the importance in forming deeper connections between traditional methods and photonic approaches. Springer Science and Business Media LLC2026 eng 2056-638710.1038/s41534-026-01250-x 121 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18969354 J.-L. Eickmann, K.-H. Luo, M. Roiz, J. Lammers, S. Atzeni, C. Pandey, F. Lütkewitte, R.G. Shirazi, F. Schlue, B. Brecht, V.V. Rybkin, M. Stefszky, C. Silberhorn, Npj Quantum Information 12 (2026). Eickmann, Jan-Lucas, Kai-Hong Luo, Mikhail Roiz, Jonas Lammers, Simone Atzeni, Cheeranjiv Pandey, Florian Lütkewitte, et al. “Bridging Chemistry and Gaussian Boson Sampling: A Photonic Hierarchy of Approximations for Molecular Vibronic Spectra.” <i>Npj Quantum Information</i> 12, no. 1 (2026). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-026-01250-x">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-026-01250-x</a>. Eickmann, J.-L., Luo, K.-H., Roiz, M., Lammers, J., Atzeni, S., Pandey, C., Lütkewitte, F., Shirazi, R. G., Schlue, F., Brecht, B., Rybkin, V. V., Stefszky, M., &#38; Silberhorn, C. (2026). Bridging chemistry and Gaussian boson sampling: a photonic hierarchy of approximations for molecular vibronic spectra. <i>Npj Quantum Information</i>, <i>12</i>(1), Article 89. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-026-01250-x">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-026-01250-x</a> J.-L. Eickmann <i>et al.</i>, “Bridging chemistry and Gaussian boson sampling: a photonic hierarchy of approximations for molecular vibronic spectra,” <i>npj Quantum Information</i>, vol. 12, no. 1, Art. no. 89, 2026, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-026-01250-x">10.1038/s41534-026-01250-x</a>. Eickmann J-L, Luo K-H, Roiz M, et al. Bridging chemistry and Gaussian boson sampling: a photonic hierarchy of approximations for molecular vibronic spectra. <i>npj Quantum Information</i>. 2026;12(1). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-026-01250-x">10.1038/s41534-026-01250-x</a> @article{Eickmann_Luo_Roiz_Lammers_Atzeni_Pandey_Lütkewitte_Shirazi_Schlue_Brecht_et al._2026, title={Bridging chemistry and Gaussian boson sampling: a photonic hierarchy of approximations for molecular vibronic spectra}, volume={12}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-026-01250-x">10.1038/s41534-026-01250-x</a>}, number={189}, journal={npj Quantum Information}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Eickmann, Jan-Lucas and Luo, Kai-Hong and Roiz, Mikhail and Lammers, Jonas and Atzeni, Simone and Pandey, Cheeranjiv and Lütkewitte, Florian and Shirazi, Reza G. and Schlue, Fabian and Brecht, Benjamin and et al.}, year={2026} } Eickmann, Jan-Lucas, et al. “Bridging Chemistry and Gaussian Boson Sampling: A Photonic Hierarchy of Approximations for Molecular Vibronic Spectra.” <i>Npj Quantum Information</i>, vol. 12, no. 1, 89, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-026-01250-x">10.1038/s41534-026-01250-x</a>. 658472026-06-12T08:14:35Z2026-06-12T08:28:02Z