Photon arrival time quantum random number generation

Abstract

We present an efficient random number generator based on the randomness present in photon emission and detection. The interval between successive photons from a light source with Poissonian statistics is separated into individual time bins, which are then used to create several random bits per detection event. Using a single-photon counter and FPGA-based data processing allows for a cost-efficient and convenient implementation that outputs data at rates of roughly 40 Mbit s−1.