Physicists have combined the unique properties of quantum mechanics with blockchain technology to create, for the first time, a random number generation system that not only provides true randomness, but also allows verification of every step of the process.
The essence of quantum random number generation is the phenomenon of quantum entanglement. Physicists from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed a system back in 2018 in which pairs of photons that are in a single quantum state are sent to two measuring devices located about 100 meters apart. The polarization of the photons is recorded and converted into binary bits – zeros and ones. The uniqueness of this system is that the result of the polarization measurement is completely random, since according to quantum mechanics, the state of the photon is determined only at the moment of measurement.
What makes this technology particularly reliable is the independence of the processes at both measuring stations. The directions of measurements are chosen randomly and autonomously, excluding any coordination between the points, since this would require transmitting a signal faster than the speed of light – which is impossible from the point of view of modern physics.
Now scientists have gone further. The NIST team has presented an improved version of their system , in which each step of random number generation is recorded using blockchain technology. This makes the process completely transparent: any user can access open data and make sure that no one has interfered with the procedure.
The system’s performance has also increased significantly. While it took 10 minutes to generate 512 bits in 2018, the same amount of data is now created in just 20 seconds. NIST physicist Christer Schalm notes that this is a significant step up in both speed and potential applications.
While other approaches are being developed in parallel — such as random number generation using a quantum computer , first demonstrated in March by another research group — NIST’s system remains unique in its transparency and ability to be independently verified.
Experts point out that it is the ability to verify the authenticity of random selection after the fact that makes such systems particularly valuable. As mathematician Peter Brown of the Paris-based Quriosity research center notes, in the future, such technologies could be used in cases where absolute impartiality is important – for example, when forming a jury or in scientific trials that require strict randomization.
Meanwhile, scientists have created the basis for developing energy-efficient quantum clocks .