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PhotoniX

Three-channel robust optical encryption via engineering coherence Stokes vector of partially coherent light

Yonglei Liu, Zhen Xing Dong, Yimeng Zhu, Haiyun Wang, Fei Wang, Yahong Chen, Yangjian Cai

Published Apr 3, 2024• 60 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract Optical encryption strategies utilizing fully coherent light have been widely explored but often face challenges such as speckle noise and beam instabilities. In this work, we introduce a novel protocol for multi-channel optical information encoding and encryption using vectorial spatial coherence engineering of a partially coherent light beam. By characterizing the beam’s spatial coherence structure with a $$2 \times 2$$ 2 × 2 coherence matrix, we demonstrate independent control over the three components of the coherence Stokes vector. This allows for three-channel optical information encoding and encryption, with applications in color image representation. Unlike existing methods based on fully coherent light modulations, our approach utilizes a two-point dependent coherence Stokes vector, proving resilient to random noise in experimental scenarios. Our findings provide a robust foundation for higher-dimensional optical encoding and encryption, addressing limitations associated with partially coherent light in complex environments.

DOI
10.1186/s43074-024-00126-7

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Abstract Optical encryption strategies utilizing fully coherent light have been widely explored but often face challenges such as speckle noise and beam instabilities. In this work, we introduce a novel protocol for multi-channel optical information encoding and encryption using vectorial spatial coherence engineering of a partially coherent light beam. By characterizing the beam’s spatial coherence structure with a 2×22 \times 22×2 2 × 2 coherence matrix, we demonstrate independent control over the three components of the coherence Stokes vector. This allows for three-channel optical information encoding and encryption, with applications in color image representation. Unlike existing methods based on fully coherent light modulations, our approach utilizes a two-point dependent coherence Stokes vector, proving resilient to random noise in experimental scenarios. Our findings provide a robust foundation for higher-dimensional optical encoding and encryption, addressing limitations associated with partially coherent light in complex environments.
The rapid globalization of the digital ecosystem has elevated information security to a critical concern in modern society. Optical encryption offers an effective approach for enhancing information protection; however, existing optical encryption strategies are unable to reliably recover encrypted information following free-space transmission. To address this challenge, we propose a novel protocol named the optical coherence engineering encryption protocol (OCE-Encryption Protocol). By jointly manipulating the optical coherence structure and introducing astigmatic phase modulation, the protocol generates a spectral intensity ciphertext capable of secure free-space transmission. At the receiver, the original information can be accurately reconstructed by measuring the optical coherence structure of the received ciphertext and applying the correct decryption key. Furthermore, the proposed protocol demonstrates strong resilience to transmission channel disturbances. We hope that optical coherence engineering can expand the functional boundaries of existing optical encryption protocols and provide a pathway toward next-generation secure optical communication systems.
Optical coherence is a fundamental property of light, playing a key role in understanding interference, propagation, and light-matter interactions for both classical and quantum light. Measuring the coherence properties of an optical field is crucial for a wide range of applications. However, despite many proposed measurement schemes, significant challenges still remain. In this work, we present a protocol to measure the full-dimensional coherence properties of a partially coherent beam. The method is based on tomographing the complex coherent modes of the partially coherent field within its coherence time. Once the complex coherent modes are reconstructed, all coherence properties including field correlation and its higher-order correlations (e.g., intensity correlation) can be recovered for beams that are either spatially uniformly or non-uniformly correlated. We perform a proof-of-principle experiment to measure the complex field correlation and intensity correlation of a structured partially coherent beam synthesized by random modes. Additionally, we discuss the application of full-dimensional complex coherence function tomography in coherence-based multi-cipher information security. The robustness of our system in complex environments is also evaluated.
In the modern landscape of the internet, the secure storage and transmission of information are key objectives. Optical encryption is a long-standing method for improving information security; however, existing optical encryption strategies are unable to reliably recover encrypted information following free-space transmission. We propose an encryption protocol that utilizes the statistical features of random light fields to overcome the limitations of existing approaches. This protocol entails continuously refreshing the white complex noise to generate a colored complex noise set that carries encrypted information. Users can recover information by determining the spatial coherence structure of the ciphertext at the receiving end. Furthermore, the proposed protocol exhibits resilience against external noise attacks within the transmission channel, and the protocol’s unlimited key set makes it resistant to computer brute-force attacks. We hope that optical coherence engineering will extend the capabilities of existing optical encryption protocols, paving the way for future optical encryption technology.
In optical communications, logical bits (0 and 1) encoded in light’s degrees-of-freedom (DoFs) are confounded in scattering channels. This scattering may affect a single DoF, e.g., a rotation in polarization, or DoFs may be coupled, e.g., polarization may be coupled to spatial modes, leading to a bit error in both scenarios. Adaptive techniques that probe the channel may be used to prescribe an optical field with properties that counteract the scattering. However, these techniques are ineffective if the channel changes stochastically bit-to-bit. In this work, we utilize partially coherent light to circumvent the deleterious effects of a channel that rapidly and randomly scatters one or two DoFs, including operations that couple DoFs. Partially coherent fields in which two DoFs are relevant can be described by a 4×4 coherence matrix, the rank of which (the coherence-rank) is invariant to unitary channels. In our experiments, we use channels that stochastically change bit-to-bit, unitarily scattering the polarization and spatial DoFs leading to scrambled information transfer when bits are encoded in just one of these DoFs. The scattering from these channels is subverted when data is encoded in the coherence-rank. These results offer a new method of using partially coherent light for optical communications through scrambling channels.
Data proliferation in the digital age necessitates robust encryption techniques to protect information privacy. Optical encryption leverages the multiple degrees of freedom inherent in light waves to encode information with parallel processing and enhanced security features. However, implementations of large-scale, high-security optical encryption have largely remained theoretical or limited to digital simulations due to hardware constraints, signal-to-noise ratio challenges, and precision fabrication of encoding elements. Here, we present an optical encryption platform utilizing scattering multiplexing ptychography, simultaneously enhancing security and throughput. Unlike optical encoders which rely on computer-generated randomness, our approach leverages the inherent complexity of light scattering as a natural unclonable function. This enables multi-dimensional encoding with superior randomness. Furthermore, the ptychographic configuration expands encryption throughput beyond hardware limitations through spatial multiplexing of different scatterer regions. We propose a hybrid decryption algorithm integrating model- and data-driven strategies, ensuring robust decryption against various sources of measurement noise and communication interference. We achieved optical encryption at a scale of ten-megapixel pixels with 1.23 µm resolution. Communication experiments validate the resilience of our decryption algorithm, yielding high-fidelity results even under extreme transmission conditions characterized by a 20% bit error rate. Our encryption platform offers a holistic solution for large-scale, high-security, and cost-effective cryptography.
Abstract The ability to engineer the spatial wavefunction of photons has enabled a variety of quantum protocols for communication, sensing, and information processing. These protocols exploit the high dimensionality of structured light enabling the encoding of multiple bits of information in a single photon, the measurement of small physical parameters, and the achievement of unprecedented levels of security in schemes for cryptography. Unfortunately, the potential of structured light has been restrained to free-space platforms in which the spatial profile of photons is preserved. Here, we make an important step forward to using structured light for fiber optical communication. We introduce a classical encryption protocol in which the propagation of high-dimensional spatial modes in multimode fibers is used as a natural mechanism for encryption. This provides a secure communication channel for data transmission. The information encoded in spatial modes is retrieved using artificial neural networks, which are trained from the intensity distributions of experimentally detected spatial modes. Our on-fiber communication platform allows us to use single spatial modes for information encoding as well as the high-dimensional superposition modes for bit-by-bit and byte-by-byte encoding respectively. This protocol enables one to recover messages and images with almost perfect accuracy. Our classical smart protocol for high-dimensional encryption in optical fibers provides a platform that can be adapted to address increased per-photon information capacity at the quantum level, while maintaining the fidelity of information transfer. This is key for quantum technologies relying on structured fields of light, particularly those that are challenged by free-space propagation.