Can you trust a number chosen by the universe itself? NIST’s new quantum beacon churns out the most random numbers ever made, unleashing the power of quantum physics for cryptography, security, and open science.
Key Points at a Glance
- NIST and partners launched CURBy, the first public quantum random number generator based on certified quantum nonlocality.
- The system uses entangled photons and a Bell test to produce numbers so random, even Einstein couldn’t predict them.
- The open-source platform lets anyone verify each number’s quantum origins using blockchain-inspired “Twine” protocol.
- Quantum randomness is now available for public lotteries, audits, cryptography, and more—direct from the lab.
True randomness isn’t just a scientific curiosity—it’s the lifeblood of modern security and trust. From passwords and lotteries to cryptographic keys, everything depends on random numbers that can’t be rigged, hacked, or guessed. But for decades, even the best algorithms and classical devices have fallen short—delivering only “pseudo-randomness” that a clever attacker, or a sufficiently smart algorithm, might outwit.
Enter quantum physics, where uncertainty isn’t a bug but a feature. At the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a team of scientists just launched a public “randomness factory” that harnesses the pure unpredictability of quantum mechanics. Their tool, the Colorado University Randomness Beacon (CURBy), is a live, online generator that churns out numbers no one—not even Einstein—can predict or replicate.
How does it work? The heart of CURBy is a Bell test, a quantum experiment where pairs of entangled photons are created in a special crystal and sent to distant labs. When the photons’ properties are measured, the outcome is random—proven to be impossible for anyone or anything to predict. By running this process hundreds of thousands of times per second, and refining the results through advanced protocols, NIST’s team generates random numbers with mathematical proof of their authenticity.
But that’s just the start. The researchers developed a blockchain-inspired system called Twine, which records every quantum measurement and step of the process. Each published number is stamped with a digital “hash,” allowing anyone to audit its origin and trace it all the way back to the quantum lab. This not only makes cheating impossible, it sets a new global standard for transparency and trust in random number generation.
What can you do with numbers you know are truly random? Anything that requires ultimate fairness: jury selection, secure elections, cryptographic protocols, public lotteries, and more. It’s a breakthrough that turns the weirdness of quantum mechanics into a practical tool for society—and the platform is open source, so innovators worldwide can build on it.
For decades, scientists wondered if the universe played dice. Now, thanks to CURBy, you can see—and use—the results in real time.
Source: NIST
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