Random bits, true and unbiased, from atmospheric turbulence

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Information Science
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Genuine random numbers are crucial for secure communications, simulations, and information science.
• Physical processes with inherent unpredictability offer a source for true random number generation.
• Atmospheric turbulence effects on light propagation present a potential avenue for randomness extraction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of optical propagation in strong atmospheric turbulence for generating genuine random numbers.
• To develop and validate an algorithm for extracting randomness from laser beam images without post-processing.

Main Methods:

• Observing a laser beam after a 143 km free-space path through atmospheric turbulence.
• Developing a novel algorithm to extract randomness directly from receiver beam images.
• Subjecting the generated numbers to rigorous, selective randomness tests.

Main Results:

• Successfully generated numbers qualifying as genuine random numbers.
• The developed algorithm effectively extracts randomness without requiring post-processing.
• Demonstrated the algorithm's potential for generalization to other physical processes.

Conclusions:

• Optical propagation in atmospheric turbulence is a viable method for generating genuine random numbers.
• The developed image-based extraction algorithm is efficient and requires no post-processing.
• The methodology shows promise for diverse applications in secure communications and scientific simulations.