Unbiased All-Optical Random-Number Generator

The generation of random bits is of enormous importance in modern information science. Cryptographic security is based on random numbers which require a physical process for their generation. This is commonly performed by hardware random-number generators. These often exhibit a number of problems, n...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. X 2017-11, Vol.7 (4), p.041050, Article 041050
Main Authors: Steinle, Tobias, Greiner, Johannes N., Wrachtrup, Jörg, Giessen, Harald, Gerhardt, Ilja
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cryptography
Generators
Hardware
Information science
Laser applications
Lasers
Noise measurement
Optical bistability
Optical communication
Optical Parametric Oscillators
Optical pulses
Parametric amplifiers
Quantum phenomena
Random numbers
Randomness
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Summary:The generation of random bits is of enormous importance in modern information science. Cryptographic security is based on random numbers which require a physical process for their generation. This is commonly performed by hardware random-number generators. These often exhibit a number of problems, namely experimental bias, memory in the system, and other technical subtleties, which reduce the reliability in the entropy estimation. Further, the generated outcome has to be postprocessed to “iron out” such spurious effects. Here, we present a purely optical randomness generator, based on the bistable output of an optical parametric oscillator. Detector noise plays no role and postprocessing is reduced to a minimum. Upon entering the bistable regime, initially the resulting output phase depends on vacuum fluctuations. Later, the phase is rigidly locked and can be well determined versus a pulse train, which is derived from the pump laser. This delivers an ambiguity-free output, which is reliably detected and associated with a binary outcome. The resulting random bit stream resembles a perfect coin toss and passes all relevant randomness measures. The random nature of the generated binary outcome is furthermore confirmed by an analysis of resulting conditional entropies.
ISSN:2160-3308
2160-3308
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevX.7.041050