A quantum random number generator (QRNG) based on gated single photon detection of an In–GaAs photodiode at gigahertz frequency is demonstrated. Owing to the extremely long coherence time of each photon, each photons’ wave function extends over many gating cycles of the photodiode. The collapse of the photon wave function on random gating cycles as well as photon random arrival time detection events are used to generate sequences of random bits at a rate of . Importantly, the random outputs are intrinsically biasfree and require no postprocessing procedure to pass random number statistical tests, making this QRNG an extremely simple device.
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We note that it was not possible to generate random data that passed all relevant statistical tests when the laser source was replaced with a broadband light emitting diode emitting at for the same bit rate. This illustrates the importance of long photon coherence times in producing high quality random numbers at high bit rates.
