They have developed a certifiable system of random number generation based on quantum

2025/06/11 Etxebeste Aduriz, Egoitz - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

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They have developed a completely traceable and certifiable random number generation system. The system is based on quantitatively entangled photons. It was published in Nature magazine.

Random numbers are essential, for example, for digital security. Current random number generation systems, however, have some limitations: generation processes cannot be fully traced and inspected, and thus it is not possible to fully ensure that the generated numbers are truly random and unpredictable.

Researchers at the University of Colorado have presented the CURBy (Colorado University Randomness Beacon) protocol, which is based on the simultaneous measurement of two photons at a distance of 110 meters. Each step of the measurement process is recorded in a sequence of data called a hash string; which makes any attempt to manipulate the process detectable. In this way, it can be ensured that the process has actually been random. The researchers executed the system 7,454 times in 40 days and found that a truly random and certifiable number had been generated 7,434 times (99.7% success rate). It took 207 to 328 seconds to generate each number.