MRNG: Accessing Cosmic Radiation as an Entropy Source for a Non-Deterministic Random Number Generator

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Computer Science
• Information Security

Background:

• Robust privacy and security systems depend on high-quality, unpredictable random number generation.
• Existing entropy sources face challenges in reliability and availability.
• Single-event upsets in computing can be mitigated by secure randomness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of ultra-high energy cosmic rays as a non-deterministic entropy source.
• To assess the statistical randomness of data derived from cosmic ray events.
• To explore novel methods for enhancing data security and privacy.

Main Methods:

• An adapted muon detection prototype was employed for data acquisition.
• Cosmic ray events were recorded using a standard smartphone.
• Statistical tests were performed on the extracted random bit sequences.

Main Results:

• The random bit sequences generated from cosmic ray detections passed rigorous randomness tests.
• The experiment successfully utilized ultra-high energy cosmic rays as an entropy source.
• Smartphone-based cosmic ray detection proved feasible for this application.

Conclusions:

• Ultra-high energy cosmic rays offer a promising, natural source of randomness for security applications.
• This research validates the use of cosmic rays for generating cryptographically secure random numbers.
• Further development could lead to more robust and secure digital systems.