Wavelength multiplexing multiple-image encryption using cascaded phase-only masks in the Fresnel transform domain

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Information Security
• Digital Image Processing

Background:

• Multiple image encryption frameworks often suffer from crosstalk, limiting their capacity.
• Existing methods struggle to efficiently multiplex images without significant data overlap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a new wavelength multiplexing technique for enhanced multiple image encryption.
• To reduce crosstalk and increase the storage capacity of encrypted images.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a modified Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm (MGSA) for image encoding into complex functions.
• Implemented a cascaded phase modulation scheme with wavelength parameters in the Fresnel transform domain.
• Generated two phase-only masks (POMs) using MGSA for encryption and decryption.

Main Results:

• Significantly reduced crosstalk between multiplexed images compared to existing methods.
• Demonstrated improved multiplexing capacity for encrypting multiple gray-scale images.
• Validated the effectiveness of the proposed MGSA-based approach through simulations.

Conclusions:

• The proposed wavelength multiplexing method effectively minimizes crosstalk in multiple image encryption.
• This technique offers a viable solution for increasing the capacity of secure image storage and transmission.