Systems and methods for quantum optical device authentication
| DWPI Title: System for quantum device authentication, has computing device or hardware logic device that causes optical transmitter to transmit first and second pulse of light to optical receiver |
| Abstract: 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. |
| Use: Method for authenticating a device pair e.g. weapon such as missile, and weapons platform such as aircraft, for sensitive applications such as military, power grid, and manufacturing applications. |
| Advantage: The method enables allowing the devices to authenticate their respective paired devices prior to performing further operations with respect to the paired device, thus mitigating the possibility of secret information being accessed from a device by an attacker and being used to improperly authenticate with a paired device. The authentication system is not susceptible to brute force computational attacks designed to compromise the security of a cryptographic function, whether by conventional or quantum computers. The method allows for the use of smaller batteries in authentication devices or obviates the need for battery replacement over the lifetime of a device. |
| Novelty: The method involves causing an optical transmitter to transmit two pulses of light to an optical receiver. The device determines whether a value is consistent with a measured value of an optical state of one of the pulses as received by the receiver, in response to receiving the value from a device under test (DUT). The device outputs an indication that the DUT is unauthorized, when the value is not consistent with the value of the optical state encoded on the pulse. The optical transmitter and the optical receiver share a common reference polarization. |
| Filed: 10/1/2019 |
| Application Number: US16590003A |
| Tech ID: SD 14490.0 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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