Randomness is fundamental for secure communication and information processing. While continuous-variable optical systems offer an attractive platform for this task, certifying genuine quantum randomness in such setups remains challenging. We present a semi-device-independent scheme for randomness certification tailored to continuous-variable implementations, where the dimension assumption is operationally implemented by restricting state preparations to the two-level Fock subspace. Using standard homodyne and displacement-based measurements, we show that simple optical setups can achieve dimension-witness violations that certify positive min-entropy, even in the presence of realistic losses and misaligned reference frames. These results demonstrate that practical and scalable quantum randomness generation is achievable with minimal experimental complexity on continuous-variable platforms.
Randomness is fundamental for secure communication and information processing. While continuous-variable optical systems offer an attractive platform for this task, certifying genuine quantum randomness in such setups remains challenging. We present a semi-device-independent scheme for randomness certification tailored to continuous-variable implementations, where the dimension assumption is operationally implemented by restricting state preparations to the two-level Fock subspace. Using standard homodyne and displacement-based measurements, we show that simple optical setups can achieve dimension-witness violations that certify positive min-entropy, even in the presence of realistic losses and misaligned reference frames. These results demonstrate that practical and scalable quantum randomness generation is achievable with minimal experimental complexity on continuous-variable platforms.
In this work, we analyze a semi-device-independent technique for quantum random number generation (QRNG) certification based on coherent detection. We consider a prepare-and-measure scenario, in which pure quantum states are prepared and sequentially measured using homodyne detection, a continuous-variable measurement, and evaluate dimension witness (DW) inequalities to certify quantum randomness. We extend the DW framework to this continuous-variable setting through phase-space binning optimization and demonstrate that symmetric binning maximizes DW violation across single-, double-, and triple-partition configurations. We additionally explore heterodyne (double homodyne) detection as a complementary coherent measurement; no witness violation is observed under this scheme for several discretization schemes. This work provides additional analysis to the study of certifiable QRNG based on homodyne detection, a mature and widely available technology with natural applicability in secure network communications.
Complex solid-state systems are promising platforms for scalable, high-bandwidth quantum random-number generation, yet certifying the quantum origin of their fluctuations remains difficult because the underlying microscopic dynamics are hard to model and validate. Here we demonstrate semi-device-independent quantum randomness certification from semiconductor spin noise, to our knowledge the first such certificate on any spin-noise source, without relying on a microscopic model of the spin system. The untrusted optical source is constrained by an experimentally tested mean-photon-number bound together with a declared analogue-range and per-sample clipping ceiling, while the trusted receiver is described as a calibrated, noisy, coarse-grained homodyne measurement. Using a semidefinite programme with rigorously controlled Fock-space truncation, we certify randomness that remains private against an adversary holding arbitrary quantum side information. Offline analysis yields certified entropy rates of 3.2--3.4\,Gbit/s from a singly charged (In,Ga)As quantum-dot ensemble and 33\,Mbit/s from n-GaAs in a spin-noise-matched detection mode. This exceeds the certified entropy rate of earlier spin-noise generators by more than two orders of magnitude, and the certificate tolerates a resolved per-symbol energy contribution from the solid-state emitter itself rather than requiring a near-vacuum input.
Semi-device-independent QRNG frameworks represent a particularly attractive approach, combining strong security guarantees with high randomness generation rates while relying only on reduced and practical physical assumptions. A recently proposed approach based on photon-number constraints is particularly suited to photonic implementations, where these assumptions can be easily assessed experimentally. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a quantum random number generator within this framework, enabling the direct computation of lower bounds on the certifiable Shannon entropy via semidefinite relaxation techniques. When combined with entropy accumulation methods, this approach enables finite-size randomness certification without assuming independent and identically distributed rounds. We realize the protocol using a four-state coherent-state constellation symmetrically distributed in phase space and measured by heterodyne detection, certifying 0.223 bit per measurement, which is the highest value reported to date for a continuous-variable semi-device-independent QRNG. The implementation combines a low-loss integrated photonic heterodyne receiver with a simple transmitter assembled from commercial components, providing a practical and high-speed architecture for semi-device-independent randomness generation.
High-quality randomness, certified to be unpredictable by eavesdroppers, is key to secure information processing. Quantum mechanics enables randomness certification with minimal trust in the devices used, by exploiting quantum nonlocality. However, such full device independence is challenging to implement. We present a scheme for quantum randomness certification based on quantum steering. The protocol is one-sided device independent, providing high security, but requires only states and measurements that are simple to realize on quantum optics platforms---squeezed vacuum states and homodyne detection. This ease of implementation is demonstrated experimentally and implies that gigahertz random bit rates should be attainable with current technology. Furthermore, our scheme is immune to the detection loophole and represents the closest to full device independence that can be achieved using purely Gaussian states and measurements.
Continuous-variable source-independent quantum random number generators offer the highest generation rates among semi-device-independent protocols. In reality, the protocol design is limited due to permissible measurement configurations. In this work, we propose a rigorous security proof framework that accommodates general, infinite-dimensional positive-operator-valued measures. Building upon the numerical security proof framework, we evaluate the randomness lower bound by maximizing the eavesdropper's guessing probability. Specifically, we transform the inherently infinite-dimensional semidefinite program in Fock space into a tractable finite-dimensional one, rigorously proving that latter provides a strict upper bound to the guessing probability of the original infinite-dimensional problem. Our framework showcases its capability by certifying secure randomness using unbalanced homodyne detection with only a single quadrature measurement, thereby bypassing the traditional requirement of measuring two conjugate quadratures such as X and P. We experimentally validate our protocol on an optical platform using vacuum and weak coherent states, achieving a maximum secure randomness extraction of 1.11 bits per sample and an ultra-high generation rate of 1.776 Gbps. This work provides a flexible design for practical, high-speed quantum random number generators.
Quantum mechanics enables the generation of genuine randomness through its intrinsic indeterminacy. In device-independent (DI) and semi-device-independent (SDI) frameworks, randomness generation protocols can further ensure that the output remains secure and unaffected by internal device imperfections, with certification grounded in violations of generalized Bell inequalities. In this work, we propose an SDI randomness expansion protocol using n→1 parity-oblivious quantum random access code (PO-QRAC), where the presence of true quantum randomness is certified through the violation of a two-dimensional quantum witness. For various values of n, we derive the corresponding maximal expected success probabilities. Notably, for n=4, the expected success probability obtained under our protocol exceeds the upper bound reported in prior work. Furthermore, we establish an analytic relationship between the certifiable min-entropy and the quantum witness value, and demonstrate that, for a fixed witness value, PO-QRAC–based protocols certify more randomness than those based on standard QRACs. Among all configurations satisfying the parity-obliviousness constraint, the protocol based on the 3→1 PO-QRAC achieves optimal randomness expansion performance.