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Laser & Photonics Review

Multidimensional Multiplexing Nested Optical Encryption of Programmable Holographic Structured Light Based on Photoalignment Liquid Crystal Elements

Fangfang Chen, Jihong Zheng, Yushuai Wang, Tong Shen, Jingxin Sang, Songlin Zhuang

Published Sep 7, 2025• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract Recent progress in multidimensional multiplexing offers promising paths for next‐generation optical encryption. However, challenges remain in integration, dimensional expansion, and dynamic tunability. Here, a highly integrated optical encryption strategy is proposed that achieves 8‐channel multiplexing by combining polarization, wavelength, and spatial position within a single liquid crystal (LC) element, greatly increasing information capacity in a compact format. A multi‐layered nested encryption scheme is constructed, where plaintext is first encoded into a password‐protected quick response (QR) code. Decryption involves extracting far‐field holographic keys via wavelength and position, followed by Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) decryption and 26‐base preprocessing, and finally combining with polarization‐decoded data to retrieve the QR password and recover the plaintext. This hybrid scheme merges physical multiplexing with algorithmic decryption, enhancing both complexity and security. Additionally, the electro‐optical tunability of LCs adds an extra layer of security by allowing on‐demand encryption modulation. The proposed element demonstrates multifunctionality, high integration, and structural simplicity, showing strong potential for secure and scalable applications in optical encryption.

DOI
10.1002/lpor.202501882

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Abstract Recent progress in multidimensional multiplexing offers promising paths for next‐generation optical encryption. However, challenges remain in integration, dimensional expansion, and dynamic tunability. Here, a highly integrated optical encryption strategy is proposed that achieves 8‐channel multiplexing by combining polarization, wavelength, and spatial position within a single liquid crystal (LC) element, greatly increasing information capacity in a compact format. A multi‐layered nested encryption scheme is constructed, where plaintext is first encoded into a password‐protected quick response (QR) code. Decryption involves extracting far‐field holographic keys via wavelength and position, followed by Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) decryption and 26‐base preprocessing, and finally combining with polarization‐decoded data to retrieve the QR password and recover the plaintext. This hybrid scheme merges physical multiplexing with algorithmic decryption, enhancing both complexity and security. Additionally, the electro‐optical tunability of LCs adds an extra layer of security by allowing on‐demand encryption modulation. The proposed element demonstrates multifunctionality, high integration, and structural simplicity, showing strong potential for secure and scalable applications in optical encryption.
Secret sharing is a promising technology for information encryption by splitting the secret information into different shares. However, the traditional scheme suffers from information leakage in decryption process since the amount of available information channels is limited. Herein, we propose and demonstrate an optical secret sharing framework based on the multi-dimensional multiplexing liquid crystal (LC) holograms. The LC holograms are used as spatially separated shares to carry secret images. The polarization of the incident light and the distance between different shares are served as secret keys, which can significantly improve the information security and capacity. Besides, the decryption condition is also restricted by the applied external voltage due to the variant diffraction efficiency, which further increases the information security. In implementation, an artificial neural network (ANN) model is developed to carefully design the phase distribution of each LC hologram. With the advantage of high security, high capacity and simple configuration, our optical secret sharing framework has great potentials in optical encryption and dynamic holographic display.
A facile encryption way was successfully applied to the holographic optical encryption system with high speed, multi-dimensionality, and high capacity, which provided a better security solution for underwater communication. The reconstructed optical security system for information transmission was based on wavelength λ and focal length f that were keys to encryption and decryption. To finish the secure data transmission (λ, f) between sender and receiver, an extended Rivest-Shamir-Adleman(ERSA) algorithm for the encryption was achieved based on three-dimension quaternion function. Therein, the Pollard’s rho method was used for the evaluation and comparison of RSA and ERSA algorithms. The results demonstrate that the message encrypted by the ERSA algorithm has better security than that by RSA algorithm in the face of unpredictability and complexity of information transmission on the unsecure acoustic channel.
Abstract Optical encryption is an actively developing field of science. The majority of encryption techniques use coherent illumination and suffer from speckle noise, which severely limits their applicability. The spatially incoherent encryption technique does not have this drawback, but its effectiveness is dependent on the Fourier spectrum properties of the image to be encrypted. The application of a quick response (QR) code in the capacity of a data container solves this problem, and the embedded error correction code also enables errorless decryption. The optical encryption of digital information in the form of QR codes using spatially incoherent illumination was implemented experimentally. The encryption is based on the optical convolution of the image to be encrypted with the kinoform point spread function, which serves as an encryption key. Two liquid crystal spatial light modulators were used in the experimental setup for the QR code and the kinoform imaging, respectively. The quality of the encryption and decryption was analyzed in relation to the QR code size. Decryption was conducted digitally. The successful decryption of encrypted QR codes of up to 129 × 129 pixels was demonstrated. A comparison with the coherent QR code encryption technique showed that the proposed technique has a signal-to-noise ratio that is at least two times higher.
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 This paper presents a novel multi-layer secure communication system that bases 2D-OCDMA technology to enhance the security and number of users of the system. The system innovatively combines RSA encryption, polarization multiplexing, and address coding techniques to protect and transmit the data. At the transmitting end, the data is encrypted by algorithm and then encoded by address code. The encoded optical data is split into two orthogonal polarization states and sent over the same channel. At the receiving end, only the optical signals in the matching polarization state can be retrieved by the polarizer with the right angle. The retrieved data is then decoded by the address code and decrypted by the algorithm to recover the original data. This system achieves multi-layer security and capacity enhancement by processing the information at different layers. The feasibility of the system is demonstrated by joint experimental simulation using Java programming language and Optisystem simulation software. In this paper, low BER transmission of 4 code words for 8 users 50 km 1Gbit/s is realized using optical orthogonal codes (OOC) with BER around 10−30. It realizes the enhancement of 4-user to 8-user without affecting the transmission effect.
The majority of contemporary optical encryption techniques use coherent illumination and suffer from speckle-noise pollution, which severely limits their applicability even when information encoded into special "containers" such as a QR code. Spatially incoherent encryption does not have this drawback, but it suffers from reduced encryption strength due to formation of an unobscured image right on top of the encrypted one by undiffracted light from the encoding diffraction optical element (DOE) in axial configuration. We present a new lensless encryption scheme, experimentally implemented with two liquid crystal spatial light modulators, that does not have this disadvantage because of a special encoding DOE design, which forms desired light distribution in the photosensor plane under spherically diverging illumination without a converging lens. Results of optical experiments on encryption of QR codes and successful information retrieval from decoded images are presented. Conducted analysis of encryption strength demonstrates sufficiently high key sensitivity and large enough key space to resist any brute force attacks.