Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is under development to guard against the threats of quantum computers by implementing a new class of cryptosystems. In this direction, much work has been done since 2006, which has led to many publications. Hence, this study presents an overview of PQC research through scientometric analysis of the data containing 1611 publications published from 2006 to 2023, retrieved from the Scopus database. The analysis identifies growth, trends, leading countries, and significant publications, providing insights into impactful PQC research. It also demonstrates a significant rise in publications after 2015, and the United States is a highly productive country. Furthermore, this study also discusses the managerial view, which can assist technology managers in understanding its impact on global and local markets. The findings of this analysis can be a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders interested in the future of cryptography and other potential impacts of quantum computing.
Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is under development to guard against the threats of quantum computers by implementing a new class of cryptosystems. In this direction, much work has been done since 2006, which has led to many publications. Hence, this study presents an overview of PQC research through scientometric analysis of the data containing 1611 publications published from 2006 to 2023, retrieved from the Scopus database. The analysis identifies growth, trends, leading countries, and significant publications, providing insights into impactful PQC research. It also demonstrates a significant rise in publications after 2015, and the United States is a highly productive country. Furthermore, this study also discusses the managerial view, which can assist technology managers in understanding its impact on global and local markets. The findings of this analysis can be a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders interested in the future of cryptography and other potential impacts of quantum computing.
With the emergence of quantum computers, classical cryptography is facing significant challenges. Address this compelling problem, it is the need of hour to develop Post Quantum cryptography (PQC), or quantum-resistant cryptography. PQC is a rapidly evolving field in computer science. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) posted a call for inviting new generation of PQC algorithms. This paper aims to explore the significance and relevance of PQC in the future. Performing bibliometric analysis is important for gathering the necessary information about this discipline. Performance analysis and science mapping are done to extract valuable insights from the dataset. The dataset includes 14,230 records extracted from the Scopus database. The analysis is done using qualitative as well as quantitative approaches. The quantity approach focuses on the number of publications and document type analysis of the publications, while the quality approach includes the citation analysis of research publications. Bibliographic coupling is also carried out to understand the relationship in a visualisation format between authors, documents, sources, and countries. After performing the analysis, it has been observed that China has made the most significant contribution to the field of PQC. Additionally, the most highly cited author identified is Nicolas Gisin from the University of Geneva. This study provides valuable insights into prominent keywords, emerging trends and key research areas within the PQC domain, offering a comprehensive overview of the current research landscape.
The accelerated pace of development in the Field of Quantum Computing is very alarming for many of the presently used cryptographic algorithms such as RSA and ECC underlying much of security in the modern world. This is an indication that the need for development of quantum-resistant algorithms especially for security in data integrity and communication in the environment driven by quantum computers, commonly referred to as Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). For addressing this, the Research presents a scientometric lenses on PQC to provide a systematic review of its related research terrain, thematic trends and key contributors for directionality purposes. In the scientific aspect, the work uses new-generation scientometric techniques, including co-words, thematic maps, and network diagrams based on 2874 articles sourced from the WoS and SCOPUS databases, which were systematically evaluated using the PRISMA protocol in R Studio. Such an approach could help disentangle the publication profiles, collaborative structures, and emergent institutionalization of PQC research. Identified insights demonstrate that the growth pattern of PQC has become steeper, with the number of annual publications reaching 623 in 2023, where Florida Atlantic University and Tsinghua University are also the most active institutions. Despite this progress, major research gaps persist, particularly in scaling PQC algorithms, cross-platform adaptability, and testing in real-world settings, which are essential for applications in constrained environments like IoT networks. Thus, this study sets a foundation of reference on PQC research and presents noble advice to scholars, legislators, and entrepreneurs. These findings make the case for constant development and reliable procedures to safeguard computational assets from new forms of attack posed by quantum computing and, in doing so, point to an exciting future in the post-quantum world.
Abstract Quantum cryptography (QC) provides security to information through laws of nature, particularly quantum mechanics. The necessity of making QC a living reality has provided the impetus to advancement in material science, which led to many publications since 1996. Therefore, in this work, we analyze the articles in the Scopus database concerning the contribution of material science in the development of QC through scientometric methods. A total of 1395 articles published from 1996 to 2022 were retrieved from the Scopus database. Subsequently, these articles were analyzed to retrieve publication patterns, major collaborating nations, significant documents, recent trends, and future directions. A comprehensive introduction to QC is also included to facilitate a better grasp of this field for a wide range of readers. The findings of this study show that China is the leading nation in developing QC through material science, closely followed by the United States and India. Moreover, the study indicates significant areas of QC where extensive work is being done from the material science standpoint through keyword and significant document analysis. Hence, the outcomes of this article can be valuable for researchers, newcomers, technology managers, and policymakers interested in the future of QC.
Quantum computing provides the pathway to dismantle the security provided by cryptography especially classical public-key systems due to the emergence of Shor’s algorithm. This emerging threat necessitates the development of new security paradigms that are quantum-resistant. Consequently, two new approaches have emerged as prominent solutions, namely Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), which relies on quantum mechanical principles for security, and Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), which relies on classical cryptography for quantum resistance. This paper presents an extensive analysis of the global research trends in quantum cryptography and post-quantum cryptographic algorithms by incorporating the use of both bibliometric analysis and comparative analysis. The paper relies on a dataset collected from the Web of Science database from 2010 to 2025. The findings of the paper demonstrate an increase in scientific production in the field of quantum cryptography, with post-quantum cryptography emerging as a new dominant area coinciding with standardization by NIST, whereas quantum key distribution continues to evolve with new developments in quantum communication.
Abstract The imminent threat posed by quantum computers to modern public key cryptography has spurred the development of post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms. Over the last two decades, the field of PQC research has thrived, yielding a diverse range of algorithms resilient against quantum attacks. These PQC algorithms are undergoing selection and standardization by prominent bodies ; such as National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). However, the challenge remains substantial, given the monumental task of migrating numerous new devices to PQC algorithms. This complex, multi-decade transition from classical cryptography to PQC, necessitates careful survey of research articles to consider the current post quantum cryptographic schemes, and key protective strategies against quantum threats, implementation feasibility, compliance and challenges of implementations. This will provide insight and future directions for new researchers and organizations. .
Quantum computing poses a significant threat to existing cryptosystems, as Shor's and Grover's algorithms efficiently solve the underlying mathematical problems of classical cryptographic algorithms. Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) provides a proactive response to this emerging threat, enabling resilience against quantum attacks. Researchers have extensively explored various mathematical structures believed to be resilient against quantum attacks across several PQC families. The NIST PQC standardisation project demonstrates the global need to integrate PQC into existing digital systems, even before the quantum era. Practical use cases of PQC schemes in various areas, along with the associated challenges, have been thoroughly studied to understand future research directions that must be followed for the better optimisation of real-world PQC implementation in a quantum-safe future.