Certified randomness using a trapped-ion quantum processor

Area of Science:

• Quantum Information Science
• Computational Security
• Quantum Computing Hardware

Background:

• Quantum computers offer capabilities beyond classical systems, but practical applications are challenging.
• Generating certified random bits with guaranteed entropy is crucial for secure applications but classically impossible.
• Untrusted remote quantum devices present a challenge for verifiable computation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the generation of certifiably random bits using a trapped-ion quantum computer.
• To leverage the classical hardness of random circuit sampling for security.
• To enable verification of randomness generated by an untrusted quantum server.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the 56-qubit Quantinuum H2-1 trapped-ion quantum computer.
• Developed a protocol where a client sends quantum circuits to a remote server for execution.
• Employed classical verification of server results against quantum hardness assumptions.
• Analyzed security against near-term adversaries.

Main Results:

• Successfully generated certifiably random bits over the internet.
• Certified 71,313 bits of entropy under restricted adversary assumptions.
• Achieved high classical verification performance (1.1 × 10^18 FLOPS).

Conclusions:

• Demonstrated a viable method for generating certified random bits using current quantum hardware.
• This work represents a step towards practical applications of near-term quantum computers.
• The protocol shows potential for secure randomness generation in distributed quantum computing scenarios.