Experimental demonstration of ghost-imaging-based authentication in scattering media

Area of Science:

• Optics
• Information Security
• Applied Physics

Background:

• Optical imaging in scattering media presents significant challenges.
• Developing secure optical authentication methods is crucial for various applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and experimentally verify a new optical authentication method.
• To utilize structured-detection-based ghost imaging (GI) in scattering media for enhanced security.

Main Methods:

• Object wave is modulated by random patterns via a spatial light modulator (SLM) after passing through diffusers.
• Intensity measurements are performed using a single-pixel bucket detector.
• Authentication involves retrieving reference patterns and generating binary ciphertext from selected intensity signals.

Main Results:

• The method demonstrated high robustness and discrimination capability in experimental verification.
• Random amplitude-only patterns serve as principal security keys, supplemented by wavelength, axial distance, and pixel size.
• Two decryption and authentication strategies were developed and tested.

Conclusions:

• The proposed ghost imaging-based optical authentication method is effective in scattering media.
• This approach significantly enhances optical security and offers a promising solution for authentication.
• The method's robustness and discrimination capability make it suitable for practical applications.