Postprocessing for quantum random number generators: entropy evaluation and randomness extraction

Quantum random-number generators (QRNGs) can offer a means to generate information-theoretically provable random numbers, in principle. In practice, unfortunately, the quantum randomness is inevitably mixed with classical randomness due to classical noises. To distill this quantum randomness, one needs to quantify the randomness of the source and apply a randomness extractor. Here, we propose a generic framework for evaluating quantum randomness of real-life QRNGs by min-entropy, and apply it to two different existing quantum random-number systems in the literature. Moreover, we provide a guideline of QRNG data postprocessing for which we implement two information-theoretically provable randomness extractors: Toeplitz-hashing extractor and Trevisan's extractor.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure

Experimental Evidence of Quantum Randomness Incomputability

In contrast with software-generated randomness (called pseudo-randomness), quantum randomness is provable incomputable, i.e.\ it is not exactly reproducible by any algorithm. We provide experimental evidence of incomputability --- an asymptotic property --- of quantum randomness by performing finite tests of randomness inspired by algorithmic information theory.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures, statistical analysis added, other sections greatly expande

Van Lambalgen's Theorem for uniformly relative Schnorr and computable randomness

We correct Miyabe's proof of van Lambalgen's Theorem for truth-table Schnorr randomness (which we will call uniformly relative Schnorr randomness). An immediate corollary is one direction of van Lambalgen's theorem for Schnorr randomness. It has been claimed in the literature that this corollary (and the analogous result for computable randomness) is a "straightforward modification of the proof of van Lambalgen's Theorem." This is not so, and we point out why. We also point out an error in Miyabe's proof of van Lambalgen's Theorem for truth-table reducible randomness (which we will call uniformly relative computable randomness). While we do not fix the error, we do prove a weaker version of van Lambalgen's Theorem where each half is computably random uniformly relative to the other

Algorithmic Randomness for Infinite Time Register Machines

A concept of randomness for infinite time register machines (ITRMs), resembling Martin-L\"of-randomness, is defined and studied. In particular, we show that for this notion of randomness, computability from mutually random reals implies computability and that an analogue of van Lambalgen's theorem holds

Universal Randomness

During last two decades it has been discovered that the statistical properties of a number of microscopically rather different random systems at the macroscopic level are described by {\it the same} universal probability distribution function which is called the Tracy-Widom (TW) distribution. Among these systems we find both purely methematical problems, such as the longest increasing subsequences in random permutations, and quite physical ones, such as directed polymers in random media or polynuclear crystal growth. In the extensive Introduction we discuss in simple terms these various random systems and explain what the universal TW function is. Next, concentrating on the example of one-dimensional directed polymers in random potential we give the main lines of the formal proof that fluctuations of their free energy are described the universal TW distribution. The second part of the review consist of detailed appendices which provide necessary self-contained mathematical background for the first part.Comment: 34 pages, 6 figure