Introduction
Randomness is the apparent, or more precisely lack of a definitive pattern or predictability within information. A random sequence of events often has no order and does not follow an intelligible pattern. By definition, individual random events are unpredictable. However, if there is a known probability distribution, the frequency of different outcomes over repeated events can be predicted. For example, when rolling two dice, the outcome of any particular roll is unpredictable, but a sum of 7 will tend to occur twice as often as 4. In this case, randomness is not haphazardness; it is a measure of uncertainty of an outcome.
The concept of randomness has a myriad of uses. Random numbers can be of use to auditors to make selections, removing the possibility of a human bias. An everyday encounter with randomness involves cyber security and password generation. We are all familiar with the need for “strong” passwords or PIN codes of unguessable strings of numbers and symbols. Whether it relates to our personal email accounts or bank account details, we encounter the need for these encryptions throughout our daily lives. Many of our cryptographic systems today use random number generators to produce these secure keys.
How do we know a number is truly random?
Classical computer algorithms can only create “pseudo-random numbers”. Essentially, someone with working knowledge of the algorithm or the system used to generate these numbers could potentially manipulate it or devise their own system to predict the sequence with a certain degree of accuracy. It is exceptionally difficult to entirely remove the human element from an ultimately human-derived system.
Something as simple as a coin flip, no matter how careful the process, with enough study, can be predictable. For something to be truly random, nothing in the universe should be able to predict the outcome.
Even seemingly random events in nature cannot be verified as truly random. Einstein famously said “God does not play dice with the universe.”, firmly believing that natural processes preclude randomness. On this occasion, Einstein has since been proven wrong.
Traceable random numbers from a non-local quantum advantage
Unlike dice or computer algorithms, quantum mechanics is inherently random. Carrying out a quantum experiment called a Bell test, collaborators from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and University of Colorado Boulder have transformed this source of true quantum randomness into a traceable and certifiable random-number service.
The Colorado University Randomness Beacon (CURBy) produces random numbers automatically and broadcasts them daily via a website. Put simply, the NIST-run Bell test provides truly random results and acts as a kind of raw material that is then “refined” into random numbers published by the beacon.
The Bell test utilises a process known as Quantum Entanglement, whereby pairs of “entangled” photons whose properties are correlated even when separated by vast distances are measured individually. The resulting outcome is truly random, but the properties of the pair are more correlated than classical physics allows, thereby enabling researchers to verify the randomness. This is the first random number generator service to use quantum nonlocality as a source of its numbers, and the most transparent source of random numbers to date.
The Colorado University Randomness Beacon has the potential for some exceptionally remarkable random number applications. Uniquely, researchers have created a simple walk program involving a football field and Ralphie, the Colorado University mascot (see image right) to produce a random path of movement. This provides a remarkable visual representation of true randomness and anyone can visit CURBy to witness this aesthetically pleasing demonstration in real-time.
The process starts by generating a pair of entangled photons inside a special nonlinear crystal. The photons travel via optical fibre to separate labs at opposite ends of the hall, their polarisations are then measured. The outcomes of these measurements demonstrate true randomness. This process is subsequently repeated 250,000 times per second.
NIST passes millions of these quantum coin flips to a computer program at the University of Colorado Boulder. Special processing steps and strict protocols are used to turn the outcomes of the quantum measurements on entangled photons into 512 random bits of binary code (0s and 1s). The result is a set of random bits that could not be predicted. This system could be considered the universe’s coin flip.
CURBy is an independent, public source of random numbers and is accessible to anyone. The possibilities are endless. Useful applications have been proposed, such as selecting jury candidates, making a random selection for auditing purposes or assigning resources through a public lottery. The world of cryptographic cyber security will greatly benefit from systems such as this. There is a growing concern that the processing power of forthcoming quantum computers could render current encryption methods obsolete and disrupt all manner of global infrastructure. A comparable system of quantum encryption will be required to combat such threats.
To find out more; including how blockchain technologies and the Twine Protocol were used to verify data, visit the original publishing below.
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Traceable random numbers from a nonlocal quantum advantage
Gautam A. Kavuri, Jasper Palfree, Dileep V. Reddy, Yanbao Zhang, Joshua C. Bienfang, Michael D. Mazurek, Mohammad A. Alhejji, Aliza U. Siddiqui, Joseph M. Cavanagh, Aagam Dalal, Carlos Abellán, Waldimar Amaya, Morgan W. Mitchell, Katherine E. Stange, Paul D. Beale, Luís T.A.N. Brandão, Harold Booth, René Peralta, Sae Woo Nam, Richard P. Mirin, Martin J. Stevens, Emanuel Knill, Lynden K. Shalm