Highly secure OFDM scheme based on multi-level masking and performance-enhanced key accompanying transmission

In this Letter, we propose a highly secure OFDM scheme based on multi-level masking and performance-enhanced key-accompanying transmission. Our scheme exploits a four-dimensional hyperchaotic model and uses subcarriers and symbols to scramble the signal, thereby achieving chaotic encryption and enhancing system security. The dual-mode index technique is employed to conceal the key within the encrypted signal, enabling cooperative transmission of both the key and the signal. We conducted experiments that successfully transmitted a 28 Gb/s dual-mode QPSK (DM-QPSK) signal and a 42 Gb/s dual-mode 8QAM (DM-8QAM) signal over a 2-km stretch of 7-core fiber. The results demonstrated that our proposed key-accompanying transmission scheme did not compromise the system's transmission performance. Moreover, the key space of this scheme is as large as 10¹³⁵, effectively ensuring system security. Under the received optical power corresponding to the bit error rate of 3.8 × 10^-3, the minimum number of key repetitions in DM-8QAM that makes the key bit error rate zero is less than 9 times. This demonstrates that our proposed scheme effectively enhances the transmission performance of the key, achieving high-quality joint transmission of both the key and the signal.