Generating high quality and trusted random numbers is an essential task in various cryptographic schemes and many other applications such as Monte Carlo simulations [1] and various algorithms utilizing random numbers. Algorithmically generated pseudo-random numbers are available at very high rates and can be easily implemented in software, but they are deterministic in nature and therefore are not suitable for cryptographic purposes, and may be problematic for some Monte-Carlo simulations as well as other applications, e.g. games.
As an alternative, hardware random number generators have been used [2, 3]. They measure noisy physical processes and convert the outcome into random numbers. Since it is impossible to predict the outcome of such measurements, these physically generated random numbers are more trusted compared to pseudo-random numbers. Quantum random number generators (QRNG) are a class of hardware random number generators whose source of randomness is the outcome of measurements of a quantum noise source.
Early implementations of QRNGs made use of the decay statistics of radioactive nuclei [4, 5]. A number of more recent implementations using quantum optical measurements have been reported. These include measuring photon number statistics [6-12], scattering events of single photons by a beam splitter [13] and amplified spontaneous emission of a fiber amplifier [14]. QRNGs based on measuring the intensity [15, 16] and phase noise [17-24] of different light sources have also been reported.
QRNG implementations based on measuring the vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field have also been reported in [25-28]. Such measurements are known for their high bandwidth. However, the reported QRNG implementations based on measuring vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field have commercial implementation problems due to complexity of the alignment of optical elements and issues in manufacturability.
Embodiments of the present invention provide an alternative method and system for random number generation.