Secure fiber optic seals enabled by quantum optical communication concepts

Mohan Sarovar

Published Jan 23, 2023• 0 citations

Abstract

Described herein are various technologies pertaining to detecting tampering of a seal based upon quantum optical communication via a communications channel comprising the seal. A plurality of pulses of light encoded with random data are transmitted on the communications channel, whereupon they are received and their data values measured. The measured data values of the pulses are then compared to the known transmitted data to determine a correlation statistic between the transmitted and received data values. Tampering with the seal can be detected based upon identifying that the correlation statistic has dropped below a threshold non-tampered level of correlation between transmitted and received values.

Related papers

Method and apparatus for free-space quantum key distribution in daylight

Hughes, Richard J.; Buttler, William T.; Lamoreaux, Steve K.; Morgan, George L.; Nordholt, Jane E.; Peterson, C. Glen; Kwiat, Paul G.

A quantum cryptography apparatus securely generates a key to be used for secure transmission between a sender and a receiver connected by an atmospheric transmission link. A first laser outputs a timing bright light pulse; other lasers output polarized optical data pulses after having been enabled by a random bit generator. Output optics transmit output light from the lasers that is received by receiving optics. A first beam splitter receives light from the receiving optics, where a received timing bright light pulse is directed to a delay circuit for establishing a timing window for receiving light from the lasers and where an optical data pulse from one of the lasers has a probability of being either transmitted by the beam splitter or reflected by the beam splitter. A first polarizer receives transmitted optical data pulses to output one data bit value and a second polarizer receives reflected optical data pulses to output a second data bit value. A computer receives pulses representing receipt of a timing bright timing pulse and the first and second data bit values, where receipt of the first and second data bit values is indexed by the bright timing pulse.

Jan 23, 20230 citations

Systems and methods for quantum optical device authentication

Daniel Soh

Quantum optical device authentication technologies are described herein. A first device includes an optical transmitter transmits a plurality of pulses to an optical receiver included on a second device. The optical pulses each have one of two non-orthogonal optical states. The optical receiver measures each of the pulses and the second device records a measured value of the optical state of each pulse. Subsequently, the second device transmits the measured values of the optical states of the pulses to the first device. The first device outputs an indication of whether the second device is authenticated based upon the measured values received from the second device and the optical states of the pulses transmitted by the optical transmitter.

Jan 23, 20230 citations

Polarization tracking system for free-space optical communication, including quantum communication

J. E. Nordholt

Quantum communication transmitters include beacon lasers that transmit a beacon optical signal in a predetermined state of polarization such as one of the states of polarization of a quantum communication basis. Changes in the beacon polarization are detected at a receiver, and a retarder is adjusted so that the states of polarization in a received quantum communication optical signal are matched to basis polarizations. The beacon and QC signals can be at different wavelengths so that the beacon does not interfere with detection and decoding of the QC optical signal.

Jan 23, 20231 citation

Fiber-Optic Quantum Seal.

Junji Urayama

We report on our development of the fiber-optic quantum seal (FOQS) which will provide highsensitivity detection capabilities for tamper events at bulk storage facilities to enhance safeguards verification efforts.Long-term verification of critical assets in storage facilities for the containment and surveillance mission area must provide material accountancy with assurance of security and continuity of knowledge.As a part of this effort, future monitoring systems may incorporate networked sensors to perform status checks on individual or collection of containers.FOQC enhances current practices by making use of quantum optical probes to enable channel integrity checks and sensor data authentication.Encoded light pulses in the fiber channels will monitor for intrusions while decoding of these pulses will provide data authentication.FOQS consists of an interferometric quantum transceiver which transmits randomly encoded packets of photons over a fiber loop used to seal a container.These photon packets return to the receiver to be decoded for amplitude and phase information.Comparisons of the transmit and receive signals allow for the characterization of the channel.If the comparison shows high degree of correlation, channel integrity and authentication are deemed true, while a lack of correlation triggers an intrusion alarm.The key advantage that FOQS has is that the quantum probes are governed by the uncertainty principle which prevents the intruder from attacking the channel without leaving a trace.This trace will be used to detect the attack attempt.Experimental work will be discussed for the seal development, and theoretical analysis for enhanced security will be presented in the hypothesis-test framework.

Nov 3, 20230 citations

Fiber-Optic Quantum Seal For Safeguards.

Junji Urayama

We report new results on our development of the fiber-optic quantum seal (FOQS) which will provide high-sensitivity tamper detection capabilities at nuclear facilities to enhance safeguards verification efforts.Long-term verification of critical assets in storage facilities for containment and surveillance must provide material accountancy with continuity of knowledge.As a part of this effort, FOQC will enhance current practices by making use of quantum optical probes to enable fiber-channel integrity checks and sensor data authentication.FOQS consists of an interferometric quantum transceiver which transmits randomly encoded packets of photons over an optical fiber loop used to seal a container.These photon packets return to the receiver to be decoded for field quadrature information.Comparisons of the transmit and receive signals allow for the characterization of the channel.If the comparison shows high degree of correlation, channel integrity and authentication are deemed true, while a lack of correlation triggers an intrusion alarm.The key advantage of the FOQS is that the quantum probes are governed by the uncertainty principle which prevents the intruder from attacking the channel without leaving a trace.We present new results obtained in years two and three of this project, including improvements in the experimental system, automated numerical analysis of obtained experimental data, and extended theoretical analysis of the FOQS sensitivity under realistic conditions.These capabilities increase seal sensitivity and enables detection of data falsification attacks.SNL is managed and operated by NTESS under DOE NNSA contract DE-NA0003525.SAND2022-XXXX C.

Nov 6, 20230 citations

Secure communications with low-orbit spacecraft using quantum cryptography

Richard Hughes

Apparatus and method for secure communication between an earth station and spacecraft. A laser outputs single pulses that are split into preceding bright pulses and delayed attenuated pulses, and polarized. A Pockels cell changes the polarization of the polarized delayed attenuated pulses according to a string of random numbers, a first polarization representing a "1," and a second polarization representing a "0." At the receiving station, a beamsplitter randomly directs the preceding bright pulses and the polarized delayed attenuated pulses onto longer and shorter paths, both terminating in a beamsplitter which directs the preceding bright pulses and a first portion of the polarized delayed attenuated pulses to a first detector, and a second portion of the polarized delayed attenuated pulses to a second detector to generate a key for secure communication between the earth station and the spacecraft.

Jan 23, 20231 citation