Equilibrium fluctuations in chemical reactions: a viable source of random data (numbers, maps and sequences)

Abstract

Random sequences and maps are essential for the applications in cryptography and many other fields in Information Technologies. To achieve true randomness, one still needs to refer to natural phenomena, be it physical, chemical or biological. Here we analyse the possibility to apply stochastic physico–chemical dynamics to generate truly random sequences and bitmaps. To this purpose, we utilize simulations of adsorption–desorption (AD) based intrinsic noise in realistic microsystems and nanosystems. We focus on affinity-based chemical or biological sensors, for instance those based on micro or nanocantilevers, as well as those utilizing plasmonic and generally metamaterial phenomena (refractometric nanosensors.) Random numbers in sequences or maps in both types of structures are generated by simulations of intrinsic fluctuations of AD processes. We present three novel AD-simulation based algorithms, two of them for bitstreams and one for dynamic bitmaps. We use the stochastic simulation algorithm developed for modelling of chemical kinetics. We tested the obtained pseudo random numbers by visual analysis and using our custom designed test suite. We have proven the applicability of the proposed method for generation of random sequences and maps. Our results could be used in digital data encryption and communication. They also point out to a possibility to a hardware implementation of a full random number generator that would incorporate the mentioned micro and nanosystems.