Quantum random number generation on a mobile phone

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how the improved camera sensors in mobile phones can be used to generate quantum random numbers, potentially enabling widespread, secure cryptographic applications without specialized hardware.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method of quantum random number generation using mobile phone cameras, reducing cost and size barriers for secure cryptography.

Findings

Mobile phone cameras can detect light at the few-photon level.

Quantum random numbers can be generated using standard mobile hardware.

This approach offers a practical alternative to traditional QRNGs.

Abstract

Quantum random number generators (QRNGs) can significantly improve the security of cryptographic protocols, by ensuring that generated keys cannot be predicted. However, the cost, size, and power requirements of current QRNGs has prevented them from becoming widespread. In the meantime, the quality of the cameras integrated in mobile telephones has improved significantly, so that now they are sensitive to light at the few-photon level. We demonstrate how these can be used to generate random numbers of a quantum origin.