2023/10/03 by Dino Solar Nikolic, Nikolic, Dino Solar, Cosmo Lupo +9
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Chaos-based Image/Signal Encryption #FOS: Physical sciences #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2310.02354
openalex publication_date 2023/10/03 · openalex created_date 2023/10/06 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Quantum random number generators (QRNGs) based on quadrature measurements of the vacuum have so far used balanced homodyne detection to obtain a source of high entropy. Here we propose a simple direct detection measurement scheme using only a laser and a photodiode that still extracts randomness from vacuum fluctuations. We prove the security of the QRNG based on a reduced set of assumptions in comparison to previous security proofs for quadrature detection as our proof does not require the laser or electronic noise to be Gaussian. Using a low-cost setup based on a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser we experimentally implement the QRNG scheme. We propose a system characterization method, apply it to our implementation and demonstrate a real-time randomness extraction rate of 3.41 Gbit per second. The unique combination of speed, low cost, and rigorous security proof gives our QRNG design a large potential for a wide-scale usage in a variety of applications ranging from quantum key distribution to mobile applications and internet of things.