The low-latency requirements of a loophole-free Bell test prohibit time-consuming post-processing steps that are often used to improve the statistical quality of a physical random number generator (RNG). Here we demonstrate a postprocessing-free RNG that produces a random bit within 2.4(2) ns of an input trigger. We use the Allan variance as a tool for characterizing non-idealities in the RNG and designing a feedback mechanism to account for and correct long-term drift. The impact of the feedback on the predictability of the output is less than 6.4 × 10⁷ , and results in a system capable of 24 hour operation with output that is statistically indistinguishable from a balanced Bernoulli process.

Date Published: 4 March 2019
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 10933, Advances in Photonics of Quantum Computing, Memory, and Communication XII, 109330F (4 March 2019); doi: 10.1117/12.2514855

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10933:
Advances in Photonics of Quantum Computing, Memory, and Communication XII
Philip R. Hemmer; Alan L. Migdall; Zameer Ul Hasan, Editor(s)