Generating Random Numbers

[steve_bank]

ERNIE was a 1970s random number generator machine.

https://ernie.virtualcolossus.co.uk/ernie.html

ERNIE uses random noise generated in a neon cold-cathode tube as its primary source of random events. Two such random devices each contribute to a single digit of the nine-digit bond number so no single device failure will cause the system to fail to be random. The noise from the tube is amplified and when it peaks above a pre-set level, operates a pulse trigger. This generates pulses of a standard amplitude and width with a minimum separation between pulses giving a sequence of pulses spaced randomly over time with the bias set so that an average of 11,000 pulses per second are generated over a few minutes period. Each set of pulses feed a counter with a scale appropriate to the number or letter being generated. The first digit requires a scale of six (converted to three for the first draws until more bonds were sold), the second counter has a scale of 24, one for each of the denomination of bonds (with one unused) leaving all the other counters in a scale of 10.

Hardware random number generator - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Quantum-based RNG

Quantum random number generation technology is well established with 8 commercial quantum random number generator (QRNG) products offered before 2017.[27]

Herrero-Collantes & Garcia-Escartin list the following stochastic processes as "quantum":

nuclear decay historically was the earliest quantum method used since the 1960s owing its popularity to the availability of Geiger counters and calibrated radiation sources. The entropy harvesting was done using an event counter that was periodically sampled or a time counter that was sampled at the time of the event. Similar designs were utilized in the 1950s to generate random noise in analog computers. The major drawbacks were radiation safety concerns, low bit rates, and non-uniform distribution;[28]
shot noise, a quantum mechanical noise source found in electronic circuits, while technically a quantum effect, is hard to isolate from the thermal noise, so, with few exceptions, noise sources utilizing it are only partially quantum and are usually classified as "classical";[29]
quantum optics:
branching path generator using a beamsplitter so that a photon from a single-photon source randomly takes one of the two paths and sensed by one of the two single-photon detectors thus generating a random bit;[30]
time of arrival generator and photon counting generator use a weak photon source, with the entropy harvested similarly to the case of radioactive decay;[31]
attenuated pulse generators is a generalization (simplifying the equipment) of the above methods that allows more than one photon in the system at a time;[32]
vacuum fluctuations generators use a laser homodyne detection to probe the changes in the vacuum state;[33]
laser phase noise generators use the phase noise on the output of a single spatial mode laser that is converted to amplitude using an unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The noise is sampled by a photodetector;[34]
amplified spontaneous emission generators use spontaneous light emission present in the optical amplifiers as a source of noise;[35]
Raman scattering generators extract entropy from the interaction of photons with the solid-state materials;[36]
optical parametric oscillator generator uses the spontaneous parametric down-conversion leading to binary phase state selection in a degenerate optical parametric oscillator;[37]

To reduce costs and increase robustness of quantum random number generators,[38] online services have been implemented.[27]

USB

GitHub - atoponce/awesome-hwrng: A curated table of hardware random number generators

A curated table of hardware random number generators - atoponce/awesome-hwrng

github.com