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33 Gbit/s source-device-independent quantum random number generator based on heterodyne detection with real-time FPGA-integrated extraction

Quantum Physics 2025-12-09 v1

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 (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^\circ 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=33.92 Gbit/sR_{\rm net}= 33.92~\mathrm{Gbit/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.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2512.07319,
  title  = {33 Gbit/s source-device-independent quantum random number generator based on heterodyne detection with real-time FPGA-integrated extraction},
  author = {Marius Cizauskas and Hamid Tebyanian and Mark Fox and Manfred Bayer and Marc Assmann and Alex Greilich},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.07319},
  year   = {2025}
}