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Generació de números aleatoris quàntics basats en la dinàmica de polarització en VCSELs

Mir Pou, Blanca

Published Jun 1, 2022• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Random numbers are essential in a great variety of applications ranging from stochastic simulations to secure communications. In this thesis, we report a technique for quantum random number generation based on the dynamics of light polarization in a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). We show that two linearly polarized modes with slightly different wavelengths and gains appear within the cavity of the VCSEL laser. Due to spontaneous emission noise, VCSELs undergo random polarization switching at certain bias currents. We experimentally analyze the probability of appearance of each mode as a function of the biasing conditions. By periodically modulating a VCSEL at the polarization switching region defined under continuous-wave operation, random digits can be generated directly from the output of the pulsed VCSEL at a much higher bit rate. The results presented in this research demonstrate the feasibility of generating random numbers at rates up to 100 Mbit/s using a commercial VCSEL.

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Random numbers are essential in a great variety of applications ranging from stochastic simulations to secure communications. In this thesis, we report a technique for quantum random number generation based on the dynamics of light polarization in a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). We show that two linearly polarized modes with slightly different wavelengths and gains appear within the cavity of the VCSEL laser. Due to spontaneous emission noise, VCSELs undergo random polarization switching at certain bias currents. We experimentally analyze the probability of appearance of each mode as a function of the biasing conditions. By periodically modulating a VCSEL at the polarization switching region defined under continuous-wave operation, random digits can be generated directly from the output of the pulsed VCSEL at a much higher bit rate. The results presented in this research demonstrate the feasibility of generating random numbers at rates up to 100 Mbit/s using a commercial VCSEL.
We have experimentally demonstrated that the random excitation of the linear orthogonal polarization modes of a gain-switched vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) can be used for quantum random number generation. Our VCSEL presents polarization switching under continuous wave operation. Adjusting the modulation conditions and sampling times, both polarization modes of the VCSEL can be excited with equal probability. Random bits are obtained comparing the two orthogonal polarized signals at a sampling time. The random bits obtained pass some of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) statistical tests.
We experimentally study a quantum random number generator based on the random excitation of the linearly polarized modes of a gain-switched vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). Our device is characterized by having polarization switching under continuous wave operation. By measuring the linear polarization mode that is excited in each pulse we collect a sufficient number of bits to evaluate if a standard statistical test suite is passed. We consider linear and Von Neumann post-processing methods in order to reduce the bias with different levels of bits rejection. The post-processed bit strings pass all tests in the standard test suite for random number generators provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). We finally compare the results obtained with different post-processing functions, including several [ n , k , d ] linear BCH codes. We show that large values of n and k are the best choice to obtain simultaneously improved throughput and randomness.
We report a characterization of the polarization fluctuations observed when gain-switching vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) for quantum random number generation (QRNG) applications. We compare our experimental measurements with the results obtained from a stochastic rate equations model that incorporates the intrinsic parameters of the VCSEL found using the state-of-the-art experimental techniques. The good agreement obtained between our experiments and simulations can be used to establish a validation process that permits to monitor the device behaviour to detect malicious intrusion or malfunctioning of the QRNG. Simulations of the model are used to look for parameters that maximize the QRNG performance. Along this direction we consider the performance when considering a VCSEL with vanishing values of the amplitude and phase anisotropies. We show that in this system the obtained raw bits have a low bias value that is independent on the sampling time chosen to obtain the random bit and on the parameters of the modulation. We also use the simulations of the model to predict the QRNG performance at high modulation frequencies. We show that random bits obtained at several Gbps rates, after appropriate post-processing, fully pass the NIST statistical test.
Abstract Random number generators (RNGs) are an essential ingredient of modern cryptographic systems. Particular attention is paid today to a special class of RNGs – quantum RNGs, which are attracting close attention of researchers due to the explosive development of quantum key distribution systems, where the use of quantum randomness is a necessary security requirement. A large number of various quantum entropy sources have been proposed over the last 10-15 years. Most of them are based on the use of different quantum optics phenomena, particularly, on the effects occurring in semiconductor lasers. This choice is due to the relatively low cost and ease of use of such devices and the high random bit generation rate available with optical QRNGs. Motivated by these reasons, we study in the present research the QRNG based on variations of light polarization in a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). The scheme we propose allows creating an extremely compact and fast optical QRNG, consisting essentially of only a laser and a polarizing beam splitter. We revealed that it is possible to ensure the pulsed operation of a VCSEL in a bistable regime, which is characterized by random switch of light polarization. We show, however, that probabilistic properties of such laser pulses significantly depend on the internal laser parameters as well as on its operating mode. Understanding these properties is fundamentally important for the correct assessment of the quantum noise contribution and, consequently, for the subsequent post-processing of digitized random sequences.
We report a characterization of the polarization fluctuations observed when gain-switching vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) for quantum random number generation (QRNG) applications. We compare our experimental measurements with the results obtained from a stochastic rate equations model that incorporates the intrinsic parameters of the VCSEL found using the state-of-the-art experimental techniques. The good agreement obtained between our experiments and simulations can be used to establish a validation process that permits to monitor the device behaviour to detect malicious intrusion or malfunctioning of the QRNG. Simulations of the model are used to look for parameters that maximize the QRNG performance. Along this direction we consider the performance when considering a VCSEL with vanishing values of the amplitude and phase anisotropies. We show that in this system the obtained raw bits have a low bias value that is independent on the sampling time chosen to obtain the random bit and on the parameters of the modulation. We also use the simulations of the model to predict the QRNG performance at high modulation frequencies. We show that random bits obtained at several Gbps rates, after appropriate post-processing, fully pass the NIST statistical test.
We report a characterization of the polarization fluctuations observed when gain-switching vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) for quantum random number generation (QRNG) applications. We compare our experimental measurements with the results obtained from a stochastic rate equations model that incorporates the intrinsic parameters of the VCSEL found using the state-of-the-art experimental techniques. The good agreement obtained between our experiments and simulations can be used to establish a validation process that permits monitoring of the device behavior to detect malicious intrusion or malfunctioning of the QRNG. Simulations of the model are used to look for parameters that maximize the QRNG performance. Along this direction we consider the performance when considering a VCSEL with vanishing values of the amplitude and phase anisotropies. We show that in this system the obtained raw bits have a low bias value that is independent of the sampling time chosen to obtain the random bit and of the parameters of the modulation. We also use the simulations of the model to predict the QRNG performance at high modulation frequencies. We show that random bits obtained at several Gbps rates, after appropriate post-processing, fully pass the NIST statistical test.