title: Encryption key distribution via chaos synchronization.
abstract: We present a novel encryption scheme, wherein an encryption key is generated by two distant complex nonlinear units, forced into synchronization by a chaotic driver. The concept is sufficiently generic to be implemented on either photonic, optoelectronic or electronic platforms. The method for generating the key bitstream from the chaotic signals is reconfigurable. Although derived from a deterministic process, the obtained bit series fulfill the randomness conditions as defined by the National Institute of Standards test suite. We demonstrate the feasibility of our concept on an electronic delay oscillator circuit and test the robustness against attacks using a state-of-the-art system identification method.
authors.affiliation: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Applied Physics Research Group (APHY), Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussel, Belgium.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Keuninckx
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos, IFISC (CSIC-UIB), Campus Universitat Illes Balears, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Soriano
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos, IFISC (CSIC-UIB), Campus Universitat Illes Balears, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos, IFISC (CSIC-UIB), Campus Universitat Illes Balears, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
authors.forename: Claudio R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Mirasso
authors.affiliation: Université libre de Bruxelles, Optique Nonlinéaire Théorique, Campus Plaine, C.P. 231, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: Romain M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Nguimdo
authors.affiliation: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Applied Physics Research Group (APHY), Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussel, Belgium.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Van der Sande