Quantum Random Number Generation Based on Multi-photon Detection

We demonstrate quantum random number generation based on a photon-number detection scheme with the use of a silicon photomultiplier. We implement a time integral with detector response signals for resolving photon numbers, which are subsequently digitized into a stream of 4-bit sequences with a generation rate of 13.6 Mbit/s. Our generated random bits pass the statistical randomness validation according to the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-22. This scheme is implementable with inexpensive components, and the system can be miniaturized to the size of a plug-and-play portable cryptographic device.