  Boson sampling has been theoretically proposed and experimentally
demonstrated to show quantum computational advantages. However, it still lacks
the deep understanding of the practical applications of boson sampling. Here we
propose that boson sampling can be used to efficiently simulate the work
distribution of multiple identical bosons. We link the work distribution to
boson sampling and numerically calculate the transition amplitude matrix
between the single-boson eigenstates in a one-dimensional quantum piston
system, and then map the matrix to a linear optical network of boson sampling.
The work distribution can be efficiently simulated by the output probabilities
of boson sampling using the method of the grouped probability estimation. The
scheme requires at most a polynomial number of the samples and the optical
elements. Our work opens up a new path towards the calculation of complex
quantum work distribution using only photons and linear optics.
