Vacuum brings true randomness
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IT鈥橲 something from nothing. A random number generator that harnesses the quantum fluctuations in empty space could soon sit inside your computer.
A device that creates truly random numbers is vital for a number of applications, including cryptography. Christian Gabriel鈥檚 team at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light in Erlangen, Germany, has built a prototype that draws on a vacuum鈥檚 random quantum fluctuations. These impart random noise to laser beams in the device, which converts it into numbers (Nature Photonics, ).
The generator costs about 鈧�1000, but mass production could lower the price to 鈧�100, the team says.
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