Nuno Silva talked to 90 Segundos de Ciência podcast about a method to make cryptographic protocols used on the internet and telecommunications more secure.
These random numbers are generated from the interaction of a laser with a vacuum state. The result of this interaction produces an electrical current that is random in time. This allows you to assign random bits or numbers to the result obtained.
The generation of random numbers is quite important in the area of cryptography. We can encounter cryptographic protocols in our daily lives when we browse the internet, when we access our home banking, or when we make a transaction with a credit card.
This study is being developed within the scope of the Portuguese Quantum Communications Infrastructure – PTQCI project, funded by European funds from the EU Digital European Programme.
More on this project: https://www.it.pt/Projects/Index/4845
Listen to it here: