How random are random numbers generated using photons?

Randomness is fundamental in quantum theory, with many philosophical and practical implications. In this paper we discuss the concept of algorithmic randomness, which provides a quantitative method to assess the Borel normality of a given sequence of numbers, a necessary condition for it to be consi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2015-02
Main Authors: Solis, Aldo, Angulo Martinez, Alí M, Roberto Ramírez Alarcón, Hector Cruz Ramírez, U'Ren, Alfred B, Hirsch, Jorge G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Normality
Numbers
Photons
Quantum theory
Random numbers
Randomness
Sequences
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Randomness is fundamental in quantum theory, with many philosophical and practical implications. In this paper we discuss the concept of algorithmic randomness, which provides a quantitative method to assess the Borel normality of a given sequence of numbers, a necessary condition for it to be considered random. We use Borel normality as a tool to investigate the randomness of ten sequences of bits generated from the differences between detection times of photon pairs generated by spontaneous parametric downconversion. These sequences are shown to fulfil the randomness criteria without difficulties. As deviations from Borel normality for photon-generated random number sequences have been reported in previous work, a strategy to understand these diverging findings is outlined.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1502.05882