Quantum Random Number Generator Using Only One Single-Photon Detector

Soares, Emanoela de Jesus Lopes; Mendonça, Fábio Alencar; Ramos, Rubens Viana

doi:10.1109/lpt.2014.2302436

Cited by 12 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Previously, single photons have been used as quantum generators of random numbers in bulk setups in various forms, including a branching path generator [37][38][39], time of arrival generator [40][41][42], photon counting generator [43][44][45] and many others [36]. Most recently on-chip quantum random number generators have been realised using one or more of the above methods [46][47][48]52].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantum random number generation using an on-chip plasmonic beamsplitter

Francis¹,

Zhang²,

Özdemir³

et al. 2017

Quantum Sci. Technol.

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We report an experimental realisation of a quantum random number generator using a plasmonic beamsplitter. Free-space single photons are converted into propagating single surface plasmon polaritons on a gold stripe waveguide via a grating. The surface plasmons are then guided to a region where they are scattered into one of two possible outputs. The presence of a plasmonic excitation in a given output determines the value of a random bit generated from the quantum scattering process. Using a stream of single surface plasmons injected into the beamsplitter we achieve a quantum random number generation rate of 2.37 Mbits/s even in the presence of loss.We characterise the quality of the random number sequence generated, finding it to be comparable to sequences from other quantum photonic-based devices. The compact nature of our nanophotonic device makes it suitable for tight integration in on-chip applications, such as in quantum computing and communication schemes.Introduction.-Plasmonic systems exhibiting quantum effects are currently being explored for their potential in emerging quantum technologies [1]. Compared to standard dielectric systems traditionally used in photonics, plasmonic systems provide a means to confine light to much smaller scales, far below the diffraction limit [2,3]. In the classical regime, this has opened up a range of applications, including nanoimaging [4], nano-sensing [5,6], hybrid electro-optic circuitry [7] and new kinds of photonic materials [8,9]. The high confinement of light is achieved by the interaction of the electromagnetic field with free electrons on the surface of a metal to form a joint state of light and matter -a surface plasmon polariton (SPP). In the quantum regime, studies have shown the enhancement of the interaction between single SPPs and emitters, such as quantum dots [10] and nitrogen vacancy centres [11]. This enhancement has been used to demonstrate compact single-photon sources [12][13][14][15] and design new schemes for single-photon switches [16][17][18], both of which are important devices for quantum technology [19]. Other studies have shown that SPPs maintain well the quantum features of the photons used to excite them, including quantum correlations [20], quantum interference [21][22][23][24][25] and entanglement [26].

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantum random number generation using an on-chip plasmonic beamsplitter

Francis¹,

Zhang²,

Özdemir³

et al. 2017

Quantum Sci. Technol.

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“…For the parity method, the random variable that describes the true rate of photocounts when the detector has a small dead time gives a smaller final bias when compared to a pure Poisson process. This approach of taking the least significant bit of the photon count is also followed in (Lopes Soares et al, 2014), where thermal and weak coherent state sources are compared.…”

Section: Photon Counting Generatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantum random number generators

2017

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Random numbers are a fundamental resource in science and engineering with important applications in simulation and cryptography. The inherent randomness at the core of quantum mechanics makes quantum systems a perfect source of entropy. Quantum random number generation is one of the most mature quantum technologies with many alternative generation methods. We discuss the different technologies in quantum random number generation from the early devices based on radioactive decay to the multiple ways to use the quantum states of light to gather entropy from a quantum origin. We also discuss randomness extraction and amplification and the notable possibility of generating trusted random numbers even with untrusted hardware using device independent generation protocols.

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