Plug-and-Play Phase Conjugate Quantum Cryptography for Secure Private and Public Key Distribution--Physical Optics Corporation, 20600 Gramercy Place, Building 100, Torrance, CA 90501-1821; 310-320-3088
Dr. Andrew Kostrzewski, Principal Investigator
Mr. Gordon Drew, Business Official
DOE Grant No. DE-FG03-99ER82869
Amount: $749,998

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking new technologies that can improve communication security and reduce the spread of protected information. Existing products have intrinsic limitations that either prevent full security or make them impractical in real life applications. This project will utilize quantum cryptography technology to improve the security and privacy of U.S. government communications and commercial electronic trade. A unique Phase Conjugate Quantum Cryptography (PCQC) system will be developed to ensure truly secure communications by means of phase conjugate optics. Phase I demonstrated the feasibility of producing all critical components, and developed a simulation of the entire system. A novel optical phase conjugate mirror was developed and integrated it into a stable phase conjugate interferometric system. The results indicated that the PCQC technology is technically viable, with strong competitive advantages over existing systems. Phase II will focus on developing a full prototype of the PCQC system and on implementing it on an existing local area network. This will include optimizing the optical designs and components of the PCQC system, developing electronic processors and software, and implementing optimum encoding procedures. The system will be evaluated by LANL and by commercial firms.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: PCQC products should be economical, user-friendly, and compatible with commercial local area networks. Commercial applications are in LAN security and private network encryption. Other applications are in e-commerce for secure financial data exchange, video encryption, and medical data encryption. In addition, PCQC technology could be used in adaptive interferometers and adaptive optical systems for phase correction in astronomy and in surveillance activities, by law enforcement, the U.S. military, and NASA.