Re: Random Data from Geiger Counter

William H. Geiger III (whgiii@invweb.net)
Mon, 06 Jul 1998 14:45:12 -0500

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In <35A12436.90537B7B@algroup.co.uk>, on 07/06/98
   at 08:23 PM, Ben Laurie <ben@algroup.co.uk> said:

>Perry E. Metzger wrote:
>>
>> "William H. Geiger III" writes:
>> > I am looking at information on pulling random data from a Geiger counter
>> > for use in crypto aplications.
>> >
>> > I plan on using a RM-60 from Aware Electronics:
>> >
>> > http://www.aw-el.com/index.htm
>>
>> John Walker has a cool page on a similar gadget he built and wrote
>> software for. Check out
>>
>> http://www.fourmilab.ch/hotbits/

>Seems to me like he's being very conservative about the entropy of the
>data source - 1 bit for two (detected) decays. Surely we can get a bit
>(or two) more out of it than that?

I though it said that he was using 3 hits/bit?

Anyway this is why I am looking for information on this. I have done a
couple of searches on the web but have not found any detailed study on
using a Geiger-Muler Detector as a random source for crypto programs.

I did find a couple of intresting links during my search though:

The Efficient Generation of Cryptographic Confusion Sequences Terry Ritter

http://www.sys.uea.ac.uk/~rs/ritter.html

Ph 77 - The Geiger Counter And Counting Statistics - September 1997

http://www.pma.caltech.edu/~derose/labs/exp2.html

Still looking ...

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