Quantum random number (QRNG) beacons distinguish themselves from classical counterparts by providing intrinsic unpredictability originating from the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics. Most demonstrations have focused on certifiable randomness generators to guarantee the public that their genuineness is independent from imperfect implementations. These efforts however do not benefit applications where multiple distrusted users need a common set of random numbers, as they must rely on the honesty of beacon owners. In this paper, we formally introduce a design and proof-of-principle experiment of the first consensus protocol producing QRNs in a decentralized environment (dQRNG). Such protocol allows N number of participants contribute in the generation process and publicly verify numbers they collect. Security of the protocol is guaranteed given(N-1) dishonest participants. Our method is thus suited for distribute systems that requires a bias-resistant, highly secure, and public-verifiable random beacon.
Quantum random number (QRNG) beacons distinguish themselves from classical counterparts by providing intrinsic unpredictability originating from the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics. Most demonstrations have focused on certifiable randomness generators to guarantee the public that their genuineness is independent from imperfect implementations. These efforts however do not benefit applications where multiple distrusted users need a common set of random numbers, as they must rely on the honesty of beacon owners. In this paper, we formally introduce a design and proof-of-principle experiment of the first consensus protocol producing QRNs in a decentralized environment (dQRNG). Such protocol allows N number of participants contribute in the generation process and publicly verify numbers they collect. Security of the protocol is guaranteed given(N-1) dishonest participants. Our method is thus suited for distribute systems that requires a bias-resistant, highly secure, and public-verifiable random beacon.
Random beacons—services that periodically emit public, unpredictable, and unbiasable random values—underpin blockchains, lotteries, sharding, and cryptographic parameter generation. To remove single points of trust, modern beacons are distributed, but they rest on classical hardness assumptions that quantum computers threaten. Quantum random beacons instead draw unpredictability directly from quantum mechanics and are quantum-safe by construction. Existing systems sit at two extremes: single-device protocols based on random circuit sampling trust one quantum server, while device-independent beacons require entangled measurement stations and do not fit the commercial quantum cloud. We present QuoRand, a quantum random beacon that combines m mutually distrusting quantum servers into one publicly verifiable source of certified randomness through a fully distributed classical protocol with no trusted party. QuoRand introduces (1) a Certified-Randomness Oracle (CRO) abstraction that captures RCS-, LWE-, and low-depth-unitary instantiations uniformly, so all guarantees hold independently of the quantum-advantage assumption; (2) a hash-chained challenge derivation that self-bootstraps each round from the previous output, removing the trusted coordinator of prior designs; and (3) a verifiable-delay-function audit lottery, drawn only after all servers commit, that renders any spoofing server accountable while amortizing verification across rounds. We prove QuoRand is unpredictable and bias-resistant under an anytrust assumption—a single honest server suffices—accountable under an honest majority, and live under partial synchrony, and confirm the soundness-cost trade-off with lightweight simulations.
Blockchain systems based on the proof-of-work (PoW) consensus introduce entropy to the system in a natural way due to the randomness of mining. However, for non-PoW consensus (e.g., proof-of-stake and delegated proof-of-stake consensus) blockchain systems, a different approach to introducing entropy, such as the distributed random number generation (dRNG) algorithm, must be established. The dRNG algorithm is one of the key challenges in developing the consensus mechanism, as well as one of the relevant parameters for determining the merit of the consensus mechanism. In this paper, we first derive a publicly verifiable quantum random numbers generation protocol based on the certifiable randomness scheme from any untrusted quantum device, which offers features, such as fairness, no trusted third party, and publicly verifiable. Then, based on verifiable quantum random numbers, we propose a new consensus algorithm. The algorithm selects block proposer and block verification committees for each round using verifiable quantum random numbers, resulting in better randomness, fairness, and efficiency of the entire consensus process. In addition, the new consensus algorithm is not only resistant to adaptive adversary models as well as to collusion attacks, but also requires negligible computation for each user to avoid unnecessary consumption of power resources. Finally, we analyze the verifiable randomness, fairness, liveness, and communication complexity of the consensus algorithm.
Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNGs) produce high-quality randomness derived from quantum phenomena, offering strong security assurances. However, relying on a single QRNG device centralizes trust and creates a single point of failure. This paper presents a decentralized architecture integrating multiple geographically distributed QRNG nodes using the Kirk network's quantum and classical channels. We incorporate Post-Quantum Verifiable Random Functions (PQ-VRFs), threshold secret sharing, and Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) consensus protocols to ensure unbiased, verifiable, and tamper-resistant randomness. We detail a blockchain oracle system that transforms quantum-secure keys into various blockchain-compatible formats (Ethereum, Bitcoin, Polkadot), creating a future-proof, monetizable service for quantum-era blockchain infrastructures.
Abstract Quantum random numbers distinguish themselves from others by their intrinsic unpredictability arising from the principles of quantum mechanics. As such they are extremely useful in many scientific and real-world applications with considerable efforts going into their realizations. Most demonstrations focus on high asymptotic generation rates. For this goal, a large number of repeated trials are required to accumulate a significant store of certifiable randomness, resulting in a high latency between the initial request and the delivery of the requested random bits. Here we demonstrate low-latency real-time certifiable randomness generation from measurements on photonic time-bin states. For this, we develop methods to certify randomness taking into account adversarial imperfections in both the state preparation and the measurement apparatus. Every 0.12 s we generate a block of 8192 random bits which are certifiable against all quantum adversaries with an error bounded by 2 −64 . Our quantum random number generator is thus well suited for realizing a continuously-operating, high-security and high-speed quantum randomness beacon.
This paper presents the design and theoretical framework for a quantum random number generator (QRNG) rooted in the principles of quantum mechanics. The core innovation lies in leveraging the inherent randomness associated with quantum measurement, specifically the uncertainty principle, to generate truly random numbers, a significant departure from the limitations of classical random number generators. The proposed system utilizes a measurement process involving a quantum system, such as a photon polarization or a quantum bit, to produce a sequence of random bits. The generated bits are then processed to eliminate bias and ensure high uniformity. The theoretical analysis focuses on quantifying the randomness inherent in the measurement process and demonstrating the potential for generating high-quality random numbers. This work addresses the growing demand for secure communication, cryptography, and simulation applications that require truly random numbers, offering a fundamentally different approach compared to traditional methods.
Device-independent quantum random number generation (DIQRNG) is the gold standard for generating truly random numbers, as it can produce certifiably random numbers from untrusted devices. However, the stringent device requirements of traditional DIQRNG protocols have limited their practical applications. Here, we introduce Device-Independent Private Quantum Randomness Beacon (DIPQRB), a novel approach to generate random numbers from untrusted devices based on routed Bell tests. This method significantly relaxes the device requirements, enabling a more practical way of generating randomness from untrusted devices. By distributing the device requirements across a network of servers and clients, our proposal allows the server to operate high-performance devices while the clients can be equipped with more cost-effective devices. Moreover, the outputs of the client's device are also private, even against the server, which is essential in cryptographic applications. Therefore, DIPQRB provides a cost-effective method to generate secure and private random numbers from untrusted devices.