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Quantum random number generation

Guest Editors:


Yury Kurochkin - 1. Russian Quantum Center, Moscow, Russia, 2. QRate, Skolkovo, Russia 3. NTI Center for Quantum Communications, National University of Science and Technology MISiS, Moscow, Russia


Roman Shakhovoy - 1. QRate, Skolkovo, Russia, 2. NTI Center for Quantum Communications, National University of Science and Technology MISiS, Moscow, Russia

Kai Bongs - University of Birmingham, United Kingdom

Random numbers constitute an important part of science, finance, engineering, and contemporary cryptographic systems. Large number of everyday applications, such as mobile communications, non-cash payments, emailing, internet-banking, cryptocurrency, blockchain networks, use certain sources of randomness. Overwhelmingly, these sources represent computer algorithms for generating pseudorandom numbers, which are potentially vulnerable for various attacks. Emerging quantum computers could make pseudo-randomness-based cryptographic systems defenseless; therefore, much attention is paid today to quantum key distribution or “quantum cryptography” systems, where quantum random number generators (QRNGs) take a special place.

The main goal of the topical collection “Quantum Random Number Generation” is to reveal the need for QRNGs in various areas of science and business and to facilitate the dialogue between the academia and commercial information technology companies. This special collection addresses the survey of various quantum entropy sources. Special attention will be paid to formal definition of quantum and classical randomness and to the problem of quantum entropy extraction. An additional objective of this collection is an overview of manufacturers and their solutions on the market of QRNGs.

Deadline: 30 June 2023

Please refer to the journal’s Submission Guidelines for the preparation of the manuscript.
Important: Upon submission please select the appropriate article type (i.e. Research, Review, Comment or Brief Report) and the topical collection from the "Collection" drop-down menu under the "Details" tab.

The guest editors will oversee the editorial and peer-review process. Accepted articles are published open access and automatically assigned to a volume and issue after the proofs are corrected. They will be accessible through the regular volume and issue, as well as collected online under their specific special collection tab.

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  1. Random number generators (RNG) based on quantum mechanics are captivating due to their security and unpredictability compared to conventional generators, such as pseudo-random number generators and hardware-ra...

    Authors: Hamid Tebyanian, Mujtaba Zahidy, Ronny Müller, Søren Forchhammer, Davide Bacco and Leif. K. Oxenløwe
    Citation: EPJ Quantum Technology 2024 11:15
  2. Spin noise based quantum random number generators first appeared in 2008 and have since then garnered little further interest, in part because their bit rate is limited by the transverse relaxation time

    Authors: Matija Koterle, Samo Beguš, Jure Pirman, Tadej Mežnaršič, Katja Gosar, Erik Zupanič, Rok Žitko and Peter Jeglič
    Citation: EPJ Quantum Technology 2024 11:11
  3. Quantum random number generator (QRNG) based on the inherent randomness of fundamental quantum processes can provide provable true random numbers which play an important role in many fields. However, the secur...

    Authors: Yuan-Hao Li, Yang-Yang Fei, Wei-Long Wang, Xiang-Dong Meng, Hong Wang, Qian-Heng Duan, Yu Han and Zhi Ma
    Citation: EPJ Quantum Technology 2023 10:49
  4. Measurement outcomes on quantum systems exhibit inherent randomness and are fundamentally nondeterministic. This has enabled quantum physics to set new standards for the generation of true randomness with sign...

    Authors: K. Muhammed Shafi, Prateek Chawla, Abhaya S. Hegde, R. S. Gayatri, A. Padhye and C. M. Chandrashekar
    Citation: EPJ Quantum Technology 2023 10:43
  5. This work presents the results from the experimental evaluation of a quantum random number generator circuit over a period of 300 minutes based on a single chip fabricated on the InP platform. The circuit layo...

    Authors: Themistoklis Chrysostomidis, Ioannis Roumpos, David Alvarez Outerelo, Marcos Troncoso-Costas, Valentina Moskalenko, Juan Carlos Garcia-Escartin, Francisco J. Diaz-Otero and Konstantinos Vyrsokinos
    Citation: EPJ Quantum Technology 2023 10:5

Annual Journal Metrics

  • 2022 Citation Impact
    5.3 - 2-year Impact Factor
    5.2 - 5-year Impact Factor
    1.969 - SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper)
    1.101 - SJR (SCImago Journal Rank)

    2023 Speed
    17 days submission to first editorial decision for all manuscripts (Median)
    135 days submission to accept (Median)

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    100 Altmetric mentions

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