100 Gbit/s Secure and Real-Time Vacuum Fluctuation Based Quantum Random Number Generator

Abstract

True randomness is an essential requirement in numerous classical and quantum cryptographic systems and applications to guarantee secure communication, necessitating the research and design of promising quantum random number generators. As communication systems become more randomness consuming, current generators fail to deliver the required throughput mainly due to slow and often delayed post-processing. To address these performance issues, this work presents an FPGA-based quantum random number generator based on our previous work that uses a low optical power, custom-designed integrated vacuum fluctuation source. An adaptive, efficient and fast Toeplitz hashing scheme is developed with a configurable security factor, making it suitable for a wide range of applications. The high clearance and large bandwidth of the low-noise photonic-electronic detector in combination with hardware accelerated processing makes it possible for the presented dual channel generator to deliver a record generation rate of 100.3 Gbit/s for secure usage in real-time. Due to the small form factor, the design shows promise to be fully integrated into a custom-packaged device.