More randomness from the same data

Abstract

Correlations that cannot be reproduced with local variables certify the generation of private randomness. Usually, the violation of a Bell inequality is used to quantify the amount of randomness produced. Here, we show how private randomness generated during a Bell test can be directly quantified from the observed correlations, without the need to process these data into an inequality. The frequency with which the different measurement settings are used during the Bell test can also be taken into account. This improved analysis turns out to be very relevant for Bell tests performed with a finite collection efficiency. In particular, applying our technique to the data of a recent experiment (Christensen et al 2013 Phys. Rev. Lett. 111 130406), we show that about twice as much randomness as previously reported can be potentially extracted from this setup. © 2014 IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.