Bottom Line: Swiss scientists have built a quantum-based random number generator that produces mathematically provably perfect random sequences. The system uses two superconducting chips and could support applications in cryptography and blockchain.
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a random number generator based on quantum mechanical effects that eliminates systematic errors. The system could be used for cryptographic key generation and public randomness services.
Researchers at ETH Zurich present a new method for generating true random numbers. To do this, they connect two superconducting qubits cooled near absolute zero through a 30-meter-long microwave waveguide. The microwave photons transmitted between the chips create a state of quantum entanglement.
Many conventional random sources are systematically skewed. Coin flips or dice tend to show biases. Even modern quantum mechanical generators, such as those based on photon reflection at beam splitters, are not immune to such errors. Purely software-based pseudorandom generators exhibit similar problems and have historically led to security vulnerabilities in IoT devices and other applications.
The Zurich team transforms the measurement results of their quantum system entanglement through a special algorithm into mathematically perfect random sequences. “The resulting sequence of zeros and ones is now truly completely random, and we can even certify it,” explains Renato Renner, one of the project leaders. The technical improvements made it possible to generate random numbers that permanently maintain their quality.
The results were published this week in the scientific journal “Nature” under the title “Experimental randomness amplification.” Potential applications range from cryptography to decentralized systems to applications in the field of lotteries.
Source: www.csoonline.com
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