Redundant Quantum Random Number Generator Entropy Aggregation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current quantum random number generators face challenges in generating high-quality, high-bitrate random numbers with sufficient entropy for secure communication systems, often relying on pseudorandom methods due to limitations in physical processes, which can compromise security against advanced hacking.
Innovation Solution
A server-client architecture utilizing multiple independent quantum random number generators operating in a round-robin fashion through an API to enhance the quality and bitrate of random number generation, ensuring redundancy and maintaining a minimum guaranteed bitstream rate, with entropy sourced from distinct physical processes like single photon transmittance or reflectance at semitransparent optical components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple independent QRNGs are used to increase bitrate and entropy, then the quality and reliability of random numbers improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple independent QRNGs into a single unified system where each QRNG operates independently but contributes to a common random number output stream. The server aggregates outputs from multiple QRNGs using techniques like interleaving and XOR operations, merging their individual random streams into a enhanced output that benefits from the combined entropy and bitrate capabilities of all QRNGs.
Solution Approach 2:
The server component serves multiple functions: it manages multiple QRNGs, aggregates their outputs, maintains redundancy, ensures minimum bitrate guarantees, and provides interface to clients. This multi-functional design allows a single system to handle various operational modes (bitrate optimization, entropy optimization, redundancy maintenance) without requiring separate dedicated systems for each function.
2Productivity
If redundant QRNGs are deployed to maintain minimum guaranteed bitstream rate, then the productivity and reliability improve, but the loss of information increases due to redundancy
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by maintaining redundant QRNG outputs in advance, preparing backup random number streams before failures occur. The server continuously collects and stores outputs from multiple QRNGs, so when one or more QRNGs fail, the redundant outputs are already available to maintain the minimum guaranteed bitstream rate without interruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system discards redundant QRNG outputs when they are not needed for failure recovery, and recovers useful entropy from them when QRNG failures occur. During normal operation, the system may discard excess redundant streams to optimize for bitrate, but when failures are detected, it recovers from the redundant outputs to maintain service continuity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly improves the reliability and entropy of quantum random numbers, eliminating the need for pseudorandom seeding and ensuring secure, high-bitrate cryptographic keys, even in the presence of multiple QRNGs being offline, thus enhancing the security of communication systems.
Implementation Method 1
at least one of the plurality of QRNGs is based on random transmittance or reflectance of single photons at a semitransparent optical component
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed embodiments generally use multiple QRNGs contained within independent servers operating in a round-robin fashion via an Application Programming Interface (API) such that the quality of the random number bitstream can be enhanced due to a sum of entropy being gathered across multiple QRNGs that are multiplicative in nature. This allows for multiple modes of operation to be accomplished, the first being a higher overall random stream bitrate, the second being an enhanced entropy stream where output from the independent QRNGs are interleaved together to improve the quality of the random bitstream, and the third mode of operation where a minimum guaranteed random bitstream rate is maintained equal to the redundancy value chosen by the operator based upon the quantity of QRNG devices within the system.