New quantum method generates really random numbers
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
The new NIST method generates digital bits (1s and 0s) with photons, or particles of light, using data generated in an improved version of a landmark 2015 NIST physics experiment. In the new work, researchers process the spooky output to certify and quantify the randomness available in the data and generate a string of much more random bits. It’s hard to guarantee that a given classical source is really unpredictable, NIST mathematician Peter Bierhorst said. We’re very sure we’re seeing quantum randomness because only a quantum system could produce these statistical correlations between our measurement choices and outcomes. First, the spooky action experiment generates a long string of bits through a Bell test, in which researchers measure correlations between the properties of the pairs of photons.