Self-Assembled Resonance Energy Transfer Keys for Secure Communication over Classical Channels

Abstract

Modern authentication and communication protocols increasingly use physical keys in lieu of conventional software-based keys for security. This shift is primarily driven by the ability to derive a unique, unforgeable signature from a physical key. The sole demonstration of an unforgeable key, thus far, has been through quantum key distribution, which suffers from limited communication distances and expensive infrastructure requirements. Here, we show a method for creating unclonable keys by molecular self-assembly of resonance energy transfer (RET) devices. It is infeasible to clone the RET-key due to the inability to characterize the key using current technology, the large number of input-output combinations per key, and the variation of the key's response with time. However, the manufacturer can produce multiple identical devices, which enables inexpensive, secure authentication and communication over classical channels, and thus any distance. Through a detailed experimental survey of the nanoscale keys, we demonstrate that legitimate users are successfully authenticated 99.48% of the time and the false-positives are only 0.39%, over two attempts. We estimate that a legitimate user would have a computational advantage of more than 10(340) years over an attacker. Our method enables the discovery of physical key based multiparty authentication and communication schemes that are both practical and possess unprecedented security.

Energy Transfer Networks within Upconverting Nanoparticles Are Complex Systems with Collective, Robust, and History-Dependent Dynamics

“…3 Such nonlinear behavior is characteristic of complex ET networks 26 used to facilitate efficient light harvesting in nature 27 and enable optical computation. [28][29][30] However, the relationship between the topology of upconverting ET networks and their photophysical properties has been difficult to untangle, limiting the ability to engineer optimal application-specific UCNPs.…”

Layered host–guest long-afterglow ultrathin nanosheets: high-efficiency phosphorescence energy transfer at 2D confined interface

“…8–11 Recently, the transfer of light energy has attracted extensive attention, since light offers the fastest transport speed and can also be recognized and monitored easily. For example, the molecule-based fluorescence energy transfer (FET) technology has been used effectively in molecular biology 12–15 and optoelectronic applications 16 (such as optical probes, 17 information communication, 18 and light-emitting diodes 19 ). However, increasing the efficiency of light energy transfer in a typical FET process remains a considerable challenge, since the rapid release of energy from a photoactive donor (D, excited state lifetime: 10 –9 to 10 –8 s) results in an instantaneously high energy density, which cannot be effectively harvested by the acceptor (A) molecules (Fig.…”

Writing and erasing multicolored information in diarylethene-based supramolecular gels

“…Similar schemes are highly desired in information security applications, such as authentication and encryption. 22 – 24 …”

“…As multi-step energy transfer reactions are responsible for the color changes, there is a highly non-linear response between the concentrations of the fluorophores and the respective emission intensities, making this scheme of potential use in information security applications. 22 – 24 …”