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arXiv:2312.03465 · APL Photonics

True image construction in quantum-secured single-pixel imaging under spoofing attack

Jaesung Heo, Taek Jeong, Nam Hun Park, Yonggi Jo

Published Jul 1, 2024• 9 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce a quantum-secured single-pixel imaging technique designed to withstand spoofing attacks, wherein adversaries attempt to deceive imaging systems with fake signals. Unlike previous quantum-secured protocols that impose a threshold error rate limiting their operation, even with the existence of true signals, our approach not only identifies spoofing attacks but also facilitates the reconstruction of a true image. Our method involves the analysis of a specific mode correlation of a photon-pair, which is independent of the mode used for image construction, to check security. Through this analysis, we can identify both the targeted image region of the attack and the type of spoofing attack, enabling reconstruction of the true image. A proof-of-principle demonstration employing the polarization-correlation of a photon-pair is provided, showcasing successful image reconstruction even under the condition of spoofing signals that are 2000 times stronger than true signals. We expect our approach to be applied to quantum-secured signal processing, such as quantum target detection or ranging.

DOI
10.1063/5.0209041

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In this paper, we introduce a quantum-secured single-pixel imaging technique designed to withstand spoofing attacks, wherein adversaries attempt to deceive imaging systems with fake signals. Unlike previous quantum-secured protocols that impose a threshold error rate limiting their operation, even with the existence of true signals, our approach not only identifies spoofing attacks but also facilitates the reconstruction of a true image. Our method involves the analysis of a specific mode correlation of a photon-pair, which is independent of the mode used for image construction, to check security. Through this analysis, we can identify both the targeted image region of the attack and the type of spoofing attack, enabling reconstruction of the true image. A proof-of-principle demonstration employing the polarization-correlation of a photon-pair is provided, showcasing successful image reconstruction even under the condition of spoofing signals that are 2000 times stronger than true signals. We expect our approach to be applied to quantum-secured signal processing, such as quantum target detection or ranging.
In this paper, we propose a quantum-secured single-pixel imaging method that utilizes non-classical correlations of a photon pair. Our method can detect any attempts to deceive it by exploiting a non-classical correlation of photon pairs while rejecting strong chaotic light illumination through photon heralding. A security analysis based on polarization-correlation has been conducted, demonstrating that our method has improved security compared to existing quantum-secured imaging. More specifically, a partial deceiving attack, which sends a mixture of a true and a false signal, can be detected with our proposed analysis, while currently employed methods cannot. We also provide proof-of-principle demonstrations of our method and trustworthy images reconstructed using our security analysis. Our method can be developed using matured techniques used in quantum secure communication, thus offering a promising direction for practical applications in secure imaging.
Spoofing an electromagnetic signal involves measuring its properties and preparing a spoof signal that is a close enough copy to fool a receiver. A classic application of spoofing is in radar where an airborne target attempts to avoid being tracked by a ground-based radar by emitting pulses indicating a false range or velocity. In certain scenarios it has been shown that a sensor can exploit quantum mechanics to detect spoofing at the single-photon level. Here we analyze an idealized spoofing scenario where a transmitter-receiver pair, seeking to detect spoofing, utilizes a signal chosen randomly from a set of nonorthogonal, coherent states. We show that a spoofer optimally employing classical information on the state of the transmitted signal (i.e., the best measure-and-prepare strategy allowed by quantum mechanics) inevitably emits imperfect spoofs that can be exploited by the receiver to reveal the presence of the spoofer, or to discriminate between true reflections and spoofs. Importantly, we show that the quantum limitations on classical spoofing remain significant even in the large mean-photon-number regime.
Quantum imaging is an ever expanding research field in which the aim is to exploit the quantum nature of light to enhance image reconstruction capabilities. Despite a number of successful demonstrations for quantum imaging, quantum microscopy still seems out of the range for practical applications due to different physical and technical reasons. Here, we propose an imaging method exploiting the quantum correlations of photon pairs and a scanning microscope to achieve fast, single mode quantum imaging. We first test our technique on a metal grating to estimate the resolution capabilities of our system. Moreover, we assess its potential in terms of the number of available independent pixels at full resolution compared to different quantum imaging approaches. Finally, we demonstrate scanning quantum microscopy of onion epithelial cells, paving the way toward scalable quantum microscopy for bio-physical applications. Our results, combined with the rapidly evolving photon-pair generation and detection technology toward the mid-infrared, could lead to an extension of quantum microscopy applications toward the mid-infrared to access the molecular fingerprint region.
Electromagnetic remote sensing technologies, such as radar and lidar, can be misled by targets that generate spoof pulses. Typically, spoofing a transmitted signal involves measuring its properties to prepare a spoof signal that is a close enough copy of the original to fool a receiver. Quantum physics imposes a hard limit on the information that can be gained by the spoofer through a measurement on the transmitted signal. Here we analyze an idealized spoofing scenario to consider broadly the limits to spoofing imposed by quantum resources. We show that a spoofer optimally employing classical information on the state of the transmitted signal (i.e., the best measure-and-prepare strategy allowed by quantum mechanics) inevitably emits imperfect spoofs that can be exploited by the receiver to reveal the presence of the spoofer, or to discriminate between true reflections and spoofs. We first analyze a sensor employing a transmitted signal chosen randomly from a set of nonorthogonal, coherent states. Quantum-noise-limited measurements by the spoofer cannot perfectly identify the signal transmitted, leading inevitably to detectable spoofing errors [1]. We show that heterodyne reception and thresholding closely approaches quantum optimal spoof detection performance for this type of signal [2]. We next consider a quantum illumination sensor, a technology that exploits entanglement to achieve a quantum advantage in target detection. We consider two spoofing strategies - (1) direct detection and number state preparation, and (2) heterodyne detection and coherent state preparation. In both cases, the spoofer’s measure-and-prepare strategy is unable to reproduce in a spoof signal the quantum entanglement between the transmitted signal and retained modes at the receiver, again leading to inevitable spoofing errors [3].
A fundamental bottleneck across modern computational imaging and high-dimensional sensing is the conventional decoupled acquisition-reconstruction hierarchy, which subjects high-dimensional spatial sensing to the classical shot-noise limit and intense computational overhead. As a prominent manifestation of this limitation, single-pixel imaging (SPI) suffers severely from this paradigm. We reinvent this paradigm by introducing a quantum-operator-based SPI theoretical framework driven by coherent signal processing. Within this architecture, the spatial inverse problem is analytically mapped into the eigenvalue spectrum of a quantum operator via tailored light-matter interactions. By analytically synthesizing non-linear reconstruction operators via ultra-shallow quantum architectures, we theoretically demonstrate an exponential decay of spatial approximation errors, completely bypassing traditional linear solvers. This operator-space embedding not only shields reconstruction from noise via a strategic error-saturation zone but also bridges the gap from classical shot-noise scaling O(1/Nph)\mathcal{O}(1/\sqrt{N_{\text{ph}}})O(1/Nph​​) to the ultimate Heisenberg limit O(1/Nph)\mathcal{O}(1/N_{\text{ph}})O(1/Nph​). Crucially, while formulated within SPI, this coherent operator paradigm fundamentally extends to general photon-starved, high-dimensional imaging modalities. This work establishes a universal theoretical blueprint for next-generation quantum-enhanced sensing, shifting the paradigm from iterative optimization to coherent operator-space evolution.
Robust and secure ranging is essential for numerous light detection and ranging (LiDAR) applications. Traditional LiDAR systems, however, are susceptible to deception jamming, such as intercept-and-resend spoofing attacks, due to their use of classical signals for interrogating non-cooperative targets. While quantum-secured imaging protocols have been proposed to counter these attacks, practical models have been scarce. This paper presents a quantum-secured LiDAR protocol using time-bin phase-encoded quantum states for simultaneous ranging and security assessment. Ranging is done via cross-correlating signals, and security assessment by statistically analyzing error rates. We develop an analytical model to evaluate the system’s resilience against intercept-resend spoofing attacks, demonstrating through numerical simulations that such attacks can be detected with high probability and low false-alarm rates under certain conditions. The scheme is robust against polarization disturbances and phase drifts, and can be implemented using existing technology, signifying its potential in quantum radar applications to improve the security and reliability of optical ranging and imaging systems.