American physicists have combined quantum random bit generation technology with blockchain technology to create the most reliable random number generator.
Sources of generation random numbers are widely used in applications such as lotteries, jury selection or placebo administration in clinical trials. According to the developers of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder (USA), a technology that not only generates random numbers, but also makes this process tracked, it actually gains an additional level of reliability.
The researchers relied on quantum-physical generation method of random numbers, first introduced in 2018 by physicists from NIST. A special device creates pairs of quantum entangled photons that are sent to two measuring stations 90 meters apart. The polarization of the photons is used to create a string of digital bits.
These bits are indeed randomly generated, as the principles of quantum physics imply that photons do not have a clearly defined polarization until they are detected. In this case, the method of detection is chosen randomly for each location separately. The results are then independently verified by devices at the University of Colorado across town.
As part of the latest update of this system, developers have made it possible to verify the process of generating random numbers for third parties by recording the time for each step using blockchain technology. This change means that anyone who accesses publicly available data will be able to see if the process has been tampered with.
In addition, the developers have significantly improved the system’s efficiency. Now it takes about 20 seconds to generate 512 bits. In 2018, it took about 10 minutes.
In a separate experiment published in March, another group of researchers demonstrated for the first time that random numbers can be generated using a quantum computer. This technique is very promising and may be easier to implement than the NIST experiment based on confusion. But at the moment, the NIST system is the only one that is fully traceable.
Quantum breakthrough: real random numbers are generated for the first time
Source: Nature
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