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arXiv:1704.04367 · Physical Review Applied

Quantum Biometrics with Retinal Photon Counting

Michail Loulakis, Georgios Blatsios, Charikleia S. Vrettou, Iannis K. Kominis

Published Oct 24, 2017• 13 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Nature has been working on single-photon technology for a lot longer than we have, so why not reap the benefits? Taking advantage of the well-studied capability of the human retina for single-photon detection, this project proposes ultrasecure biometric identification based on the perception of weak flashes of light. The authors turn the physics of photon statistics and the related detection by the eye into a quantum parameter-estimation problem, leading to a biometric quantifier. The security of this ``fingerprint'', based on subject-specific optical-loss parameters, can be understood and quantified---and guaranteed---by the physics of quantum measurement.

DOI
10.1103/physrevapplied.8.044012

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Nature has been working on single-photon technology for a lot longer than we have, so why not reap the benefits? Taking advantage of the well-studied capability of the human retina for single-photon detection, this project proposes ultrasecure biometric identification based on the perception of weak flashes of light. The authors turn the physics of photon statistics and the related detection by the eye into a quantum parameter-estimation problem, leading to a biometric quantifier. The security of this ``fingerprint'', based on subject-specific optical-loss parameters, can be understood and quantified---and guaranteed---by the physics of quantum measurement.
It was recently proposed to use the human visual system’s ability to perform efficient photon counting in order to devise a new biometric methodology. The relevant biometric “fingerprint” is represented by the optical losses light suffers along several different paths from the cornea to the retina. The “fingerprint” is accessed by interrogating a subject on perceiving or not weak light flashes, containing few tens of photons, so that the subject’s visual system works at the threshold of perception, at which regime optical losses play a significant role. Here, we show that if, instead of weak laser light pulses, we use quantum light sources, in particular, single-photon sources, we obtain a quantum advantage, which translates into a reduction of the interrogation time required to achieve the desired performance. Besides the particular application on biometrics, our work further demonstrates that quantum light sources can provide deeper insights when studying human vision.
It was recently proposed to use the human visual system’s ability to perform efficient photon counting in order to devise a new biometric authentication methodology. The relevant “fingerprint” is represented by the optical losses light suffers along different paths from the cornea to the retina. The “fingerprint” is accessed by interrogating a subject on perceiving or not weak light flashes, containing few tens of photons, thus probing the subject’s visual system at the threshold of perception, at which regime optical losses play a significant role. The name “quantum biometrics” derives from the fact that the photon statistics of the illuminating light, as well as the quantum efficiency at the light detection level of rod cells, are central to the method. Here we elaborate further on this methodology, addressing several aspects like aging effects of the method’s “fingerprint,” as well as its inter-subject variability. We then review recent progress towards the experimental realization of the method. Finally, we summarize a recent proposal to use quantum light sources, in particular a single photon source, in order to enhance the performance of the authentication process. This further corroborates the “quantum” character of the methodology and alludes to the emerging field of quantum vision.
The evolving understanding of the limits of human visual perception has advanced the development of optical devices that not only correct visual defects but also help manage changes in certain eye structures. As modern optical technologies allow precise control of the quantum properties of light, recent endeavours have started testing the quantum capabilities of human eye perception, proving that they can detect single photons. This paves the way for the application of quantum metrology and cryptography to medical imaging, with potential increase in precision and security.
Quantum vision is currently emerging as an interdisciplinary field synthesizing the physiology of human vision with modern quantum optics. We recently proposed a biometric scheme based on the human visual system's ability to perform photon counting. We here present a light stimulus source that can provide for the requirements of this biometric scheme, namely a laser light beam having a cross section consisting of discrete pixels, allowing for an arbitrary pattern of illuminated pixels, each having a photon number per unit time obeying a Poisson distribution around the mean. Both the illumination pattern and the photon number per pixel per unit time are computer controlled, offering simple and unsupervised scanning of these parameters. Moreover, infrared light exactly superimposed on the stimulus pattern can be used for acquiring exact information on the illumination geometry on the pupil. The same light stimulus source can be used to advance pupillometry to a higher level of control and precision, as current pupillometers lack spatial selectivity in illumination. We present pupillometry measurements demonstrating the potential of this source to offer a wealth of information on vision and brain function.
Abstract The concept of photon counting is already a century old. However, we have only managed to harness its power over the last few decades. Generating and detecting these single quanta of light energy is essential for many applications and disruptive technologies that will solve many of today's global challenges, from super‐efficient photonic quantum processors and ultrasecure communication to highly accurate sensors for biomedical imaging. Single‐photon generation and detection technologies are redesigning the map of photonics applications.
The rod photoreceptors in the retina are known to be sensitive to single photons, but it has long been debated whether these single-photon signals propagate through the rest of the visual system and lead to perception. Recently, single-photon sources developed in the field of quantum optics have enabled direct tests of single-photon vision that were not possible with classical light sources. Using a heralded source based on spontaneous parametric downconversion to generate single photons which were sent to an observer at either an early or late time, Tinsley and Molodtsov et al. (2016) had observers judge when the photon was seen. Based on the above-chance accuracy in both a subset of high-confidence trials and in all post-selected trials, they claimed to show that humans can see single photons. However, we argue that this work suffers from three major issues: self-contradicting results, inappropriate statistical analyses, and a critical lack of statistical power. As a result, we cannot conclude that humans can see single photons based on the data of this study. We present a careful examination of the statistical analyses and the internal consistency of the data, which indicated that none of the key evidence holds.