Stable High-Speed Encryption Key Distribution via Synchronization of Chaotic Optoelectronic Oscillators

Abstract

Synchronization of chaotic photonic systems can be used, practically indefinitely, to create and distribute unique encryption keys ($o\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e\ensuremath{-}t\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}m\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e$ $p\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}a\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}d\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}s$). However, typical photonic systems are highly susceptible to phase fluctuations and fundamentally limited in their key-generation rate. In this work, the authors demonstrate a fundamentally different approach based on chaotic optoelectronic oscillators (OEOs), with which highly stable synchronization can be achieved through commercial fiber-optic links. Contrary to current photonic systems, OEOs are $n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}o\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}t$ limited by relaxation oscillations and allow significantly increased rates of key generation, for fast and stable data encryption.