Abstract
Fast secure random number generation is essential for high-speed encrypted communication, and is the backbone of information security. Generation of truly random numbers depends on the intrinsic randomness of the process used and is usually limited by electronic bandwidth and signal processing data rates. Here we use a multiplexing scheme to create a fast quantum random number generator structurally tailored to encryption for distributed computing, and high bit-rate data transfer. We use vacuum fluctuations measured by seven homodyne detectors as quantum randomness sources, multiplexed using a single integrated optical device. We obtain a real-time random number generation rate of 3.08 Gbit/s, from only 27.5 MHz of sampled detector bandwidth. Furthermore, we take advantage of the multiplexed nature of our system to demonstrate an unseeded strong extractor with a generation rate of 26 Mbit/s.
Highlights
Information security[1] is a foundation of modern infrastructure with quantum optics set to play a prevalent role in the generation of cryptographic hardware[2]
Randomness is a core resource for cryptography and considerable effort has gone into making systems suitable for supplying high bit rate streams of random bits
The gold standard for security in random number generators comes from device independent quantum random number generators (QRNGs) [9], where the output is certified as random regardless of the level of
Summary
Information security[1] is a foundation of modern infrastructure with quantum optics set to play a prevalent role in the generation of cryptographic hardware[2]. Entropy sources sufficient for randomness generation rates up to 1.2Tb/s have been demonstrated[23], these systems are not capable of real time random number generation at full speed due to processing bandwidth limitations, instead performing off-line processing on captured data to generate randomness. These schemes are not suited for providing highspeed random numbers for cryptography. Accepted in Quantum 2019-05-01, click title to verify sample two separate frequency slices of their homodyne detector bandwidth in a vacuum fluctuation QRNG, enabling them to generate randomness at twice their digitization rate[25] Both demonstrations remain rate-limited by generation[24] or detection[25] rates. While Gbps real-time generation rates have been previously been demonstrated[29,30,31], our scheme provides a simple method scheme to overcome electronic and processing bandwidth limitations
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