https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-023-04421-3
Regular Article
Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG): theoretical and experimental investigations
National Institute of Lasers and Optronics College, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 45650, Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan
Received:
15
April
2023
Accepted:
29
August
2023
Published online:
11
September
2023
Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNGs) emerged as a promising solution for generating truly random numbers. In the present article, we give an overview of QRNGs highlighting the merits and demerits of various strategies briefly. Then opting for the best-case scenario, we present the in-depth experimental explorations for building and characterizing QRNG using the homodyne detection technique to measure the quadrature amplitude of quantum vacuum fluctuations. Since entropy assessment plays a fundamental role in authenticating the true randomness, a comprehensive description of entropy and how it evaluates the quality of randomness of the source is illustrated. Our experimental setup, apart from the hardware, includes a diverse set of testing techniques including NIST statistical/entropy suites, Dieharder tests battery, and autocorrelation coefficient to verify the randomness and statistical properties of the generated random numbers. We believe that our experimental investigations provide a valuable resource for building QRNGs for a wide range of applications.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.