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What are the full capabilities of relativistic quantum cryptography?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 October 2022

Carl A. Miller Open the ORCID record for Carl A. Miller [Opens in a new window]
Carl A. Miller*
Affiliation:
Computer Security Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Carl A. Miller, Email: carl.miller@nist.gov
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Quantum cryptography bases its security proofs on physical assumptions. A longstanding observation in the field is that we may be able to do more cryptographic tasks when we assume not only the laws of quantum mechanics but also the impossibility of superluminal signaling (i.e., that information cannot travel faster than the speed of light). Relativistic quantum cryptography takes into account the spatial locations of the parties involved and uses the impossibility of superluminal signaling as a basis for security. Previous efforts in this field have been fruitful, both theoretically and experimentally.

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Research Directions: Quantum Technologies , Volume 1 , 2023 , e6
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is a work of the US Government and is not subject to copyright protection within the United States. Published by Cambridge University Press.
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
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© National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2022.

Quantum cryptography bases its security proofs on physical assumptions. A longstanding observation in the field is that we may be able to do more cryptographic tasks when we assume not only the laws of quantum mechanics but also the impossibility of superluminal signaling (i.e., that information cannot travel faster than the speed of light). Relativistic quantum cryptography takes into account the spatial locations of the parties involved and uses the impossibility of superluminal signaling as a basis for security. Previous efforts in this field have been fruitful, both theoretically and experimentally.

The goal of this research direction is to map out the full range of cryptography that can be carried out in a relativistic quantum setting. Two important threads are:

  1. 1. How can relativistic quantum cryptography be used to improve the security of positioning, navigation, and timing technologies?

  2. 2. How can relativistic quantum cryptography be used to better accomplish cryptographic tasks in a two-party setting (such as coin flipping, bit commitment, and oblivious transfer)?