Quantum mechanics provides a secure means of generating random numbers, with applications in fields spanning scientific simulation to cryptography. The first source-device-independent monolithically integrated quantum random number generator is reported. With a generation rate of 35 Gbit/s, the device is based on an InP photonic integrated circuit with a quantum vacuum state entropy source, sampled by heterodyne coherent detection using an optical local oscillator. The entire device is conveniently housed in a black box and includes all the necessary driving and signal conditioning electronics, with electrical interfaces only; the exhibited security, compactness, and fast generation rate make the generator suitable for applications in QKD.
Quantum mechanics provides a secure means of generating random numbers, with applications in fields spanning scientific simulation to cryptography. The first source-device-independent monolithically integrated quantum random number generator is reported. With a generation rate of 35 Gbit/s, the device is based on an InP photonic integrated circuit with a quantum vacuum state entropy source, sampled by heterodyne coherent detection using an optical local oscillator. The entire device is conveniently housed in a black box and includes all the necessary driving and signal conditioning electronics, with electrical interfaces only; the exhibited security, compactness, and fast generation rate make the generator suitable for applications in QKD.
Quantum mechanics provides a secure means of generating random numbers, with applications in fields spanning scientific simulation to cryptography. The first source-device-independent monolithically integrated quantum random number generator is reported. With a generation rate of 35 Gbit/s, the device is based on an InP photonic integrated circuit with a quantum vacuum state entropy source, sampled by heterodyne coherent detection using an optical local oscillator. The entire device is conveniently housed in a black box and includes all the necessary driving and signal conditioning electronics, with electrical interfaces only; the exhibited security, compactness, and fast generation rate make the generator suitable for applications in QKD.
Quantum physics may be exploited for the generation of true random numbers, important in many applications, including cryptography and scientific simulations. In this paper, the performance of a monolithically integrated quantum random number generator on an indium phosphide platform is simulated using Lumerical INTERCONNECT. The device offers a better level of security than fully trusted systems, making no assumptions about the quantum source. The system is also compact, with a secure generation rate of 13.3984 Gb/s.
We present a high-speed continuous-variable quantum random number generator (QRNG) based on heterodyne detection of vacuum fluctuations. The scheme follows a source-device-independent (SDI) security model in which the entropy originates from quantum measurement uncertainty and no model of the source is required; security depends only on the trusted measurement device and the calibrated discretization, and thus remains valid even under adversarial state preparation. The optical field is split by a 90∘ optical hybrid and measured by two balanced photodiodes to obtain both quadratures of the vacuum state simultaneously. The analog outputs are digitized using a dual-channel 12-bit analog-to-digital converter operating at a sampling rate of 3.2 GS/s per channel, and processed in real time by an FPGA implementing Toeplitz hashing for randomness extraction. The quantum-to-classical noise ratio was verified through calibrated power spectral density measurements and cross-checked in the time domain, confirming vacuum-noise dominance within the 1.6 GHz detection bandwidth. After extraction, the system achieves a sustained generation rate of Rnet=33.92Gbit/s of uniformly distributed random bits, which pass all NIST and Dieharder statistical tests. The demonstrated platform provides a compact, FPGA-based realization of a practical heterodyne continuous-variable source-independent QRNG suitable for high-rate quantum communication and secure key distribution systems.
Abstract We present a high-speed continuous-variable quantum random number generator (QRNG) based on heterodyne detection of vacuum fluctuations. The scheme follows a source-device-independent security model in which the entropy originates from quantum measurement uncertainty and no model of the source is required; security depends only on the trusted measurement device and the calibrated discretization, and thus remains valid even under adversarial state preparation. The optical field is split by a 90 ∘ optical hybrid and measured by two balanced photodiodes to obtain both quadratures of the vacuum state simultaneously. The analog outputs are digitized using a dual-channel 12-bit analog-to-digital converter operating at a sampling rate of 3.2 GS s −1 per channel, and processed in real time by an field-programmable gate array (FPGA) implementing Toeplitz hashing for randomness extraction. The quantum-to-classical noise ratio was verified through calibrated power spectral density measurements and cross-checked in the time domain, confirming vacuum-noise dominance within the 1.6 GHz detection bandwidth. After extraction, the system achieves a sustained generation rate of R net = 33.92 Gbit s − 1 of uniformly distributed random bits, which pass all NIST and Dieharder statistical tests. The demonstrated platform provides a compact, FPGA-based realization of a practical heterodyne continuous-variable source-independent QRNG suitable for high-rate quantum communication and secure key distribution systems.
Random numbers find applications in a range of different fields, from quantum key distribution and classical cryptography to fundamental science.They also find extensive use in gambling and lotteries.By exploiting the probabilistic nature of Quantum Mechanics, quantum random number generators (QRNGs) provide a secure and efficient means to produce random numbers.Most of the quantum random number generators demonstrated so far have been built in bulk optics, either using free space or fibre-optic components.While showing good performance, most of these demonstrations are strongly limited in real life applications, due to issues such as size, costs and the manufacturing process.In this thesis I report the demonstration of three different QRNGs based on integrated photonics.First, I demonstrated a QRNG based on homodyne measurement of optical vacuum states on a Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) chip.Second, I developed a SOI QRNG based on phase fluctuations from a laser diode.In these two schemes all the optical and opto-electronic components, excluding the laser, were integrated onto a silicon-on-insulator device.These schemes, being built on a silicon-on-insulator chip are potentially CMOS compatible and pave the way for being integrated onto other more complex systems.These QRNGs showed Gbps generation rates and passed the statistical tests provided by NIST.Third, I report the preliminary study of a QRNG based on homodyne measurement of optical vacuum states onto a Indium Phosphide (InP) chip.In this third experiment, all the components, including a laser diode, were monolithically integrated in the same chip, which provide a great advantage in terms of the overall size of the optics of the device.First, I would like to thank Jonathan, for the opportunity to pursue my PhD and for guiding my research in these four years.Thank you for giving me the chance to follow my curiosity and for pushing me to get the best out of my research.Thank you, Dylan, for being so helpful, always ready to answer my questions.I would like to thank Giacomo for sharing a big part of my research in these years
The rapid rise of quantum computing and quantum internet highlights the irreplaceable importance of high-speed, scalable quantum randomness certification (QRC). However, existing QRC implementations are constrained by quantum measurement limits and integration bottlenecks, leaving both high-speed operation and monolithic implementation unrealized. Here, we demonstrate a monolithically integrated photonic–electronic on-chip source device-independent (SDI) quantum random number generator (QRNG) that achieves a secure bit rate of 583.2 Gbps within a compact 3 mm ×11 mm ×11 mm footprint, marking an advance in both integration and speed, nearly 30 times faster than the best existing integrated SDI implementations. By harnessing measurement-induced quantum uncertainty as a resource for quantum certification, this study resolves the challenge of uniting high-speed certified entropy bounds with full monolithic integration in SDI QRC. A universal entropy bound incorporating high-bandwidth physical constraints enables accurate entropy estimation under integrated conditions. This theoretical framework supports a four-path multi-interference measurement scheme that improves entropy yield and fills a critical gap in digital-layer security under coherent attacks. These contributions are experimentally embodied in a compact photonic–electronic chip that performs NIST-compliant secure entropy extraction, demonstrating the feasibility of combining high-speed performance with full system integration. Compatible with standard optical communication infrastructure, this study sets a new benchmark for scalable high-speed QRC, enabling robust security and broad applicability across quantum computing, the internet, and cryptography.