- High power lasers and ethanol create scrambled holograms to encrypt data
- AI was trained to decipher the data with a 90-95% accuracy
- Optical encryption technology will not come to the market soon, since some deficiencies inhibit their practicality
A team of Greek scientists has developed an optical encryption system that could potentially make traditional piracy methods obsolete.
In a research work published by Optica, researchers behind the system revealed that combines artificial intelligence (AI) and laser -generated holograms to provide high -level data protection that could be practically impossible to decipher.
Unlike traditional encryption methods, which are based on mathematical algorithms, this optical approach uses the physical properties of light, which makes it resistant to attacks even of the most advanced computers, including quantum machines.
How works: Light of fighting for security
“From rapidly evolving digital currencies to governance, health, communications and social networks, the demand for robust protection systems to combat digital fraud continues to grow,” said the leader of the research team Stelios Tzortzakis, from the institute of electronic and laser structure, Foundation for Research and Technology Research Hella and the University of Crete.
To this end, the equipment optical encryption system is based on the chaotic pattern produced when a high power laser interacts with a small ethanol container due to revolt light beams. This process, improved by thermal turbulence within the liquid, ensures that the original information is hidden beyond recognition, which makes it almost impossible to decode using conventional methods.
For a way of recovering the encrypted data, the researchers turned to the AI. When training a neuronal network to recognize and decode the scrambled holograms, they achieved a 90-95% precision rate when recovering the original images.
“We came up with the idea of training neuronal networks to recognize the incredibly fine details of the revolted light patterns,” Tzortzakis continued.
“When creating billions of complex connections, or synapses, within the neural networks, we were able encryption “.
“The method we develop is highly reliable even in hard and unpredictable conditions, addressing real world challenges such as the hard climate that often limits the performance of free space optical systems.”
Finally, he said that “[the team’s] The new system achieves an exceptional level of encryption by using a neuronal network to generate the deciphered key, which can only be created by the owner of the encryption system. “
The team has tried the system encoding and decoding thousands of images, including animals, tools, everyday objects and handwritten digits. However. Technology is not ready for marketing, since the current laser system used in the encryption process is bulky and expensive, which limits its practicality and affordability.
