Anticoncentration of Gaussian permanents

Aaronson and Arkhipov conjectured anticoncentration for permanents of Gaussian random matrices as part of their study of the computational complexity of linear optics (boson sampling). We will discuss a proof which uses rotational invariance of the Gaussian distribution. No background in quantum is assumed; we will also mention a related motivation for this question via complex zeros. 

 

Based on joint works with Pui Kuen Leung.