We investigate the dynamics of multi-mode optical systems driven by two-photon processes and subject to non-local losses, incorporating quantum noise at the Gaussian level. Our findings show that the statistics from a single Gaussian quantum trajectory exhibit emergent thermal equilibrium governed by an Ising Hamiltonian encoded in the dissipative coupling between modes. The driving strength sets the system’s effective temperature relative to the oscillation threshold. Given the ultra-short time scales typical of all-optical devices, our study demonstrates that such multi-mode optical systems can operate as ultra-fast Boltzmann samplers, paving the way toward the realization of efficient hardware for combinatorial optimization, with promising applications in machine learning and beyond.
Emergent Equilibrium in All-Optical Single Quantum-Trajectory Ising Machines
