An Overlay Photonic Layer Security Approach Scalable to 100 Gb/s

As data rates outpace the capabilities of electronic encryption schemes, photonic layer security may fill the gap in providing a communication security solution at high data rates. In this article we review and highlight the advantages of our proposed optical code-division multiplexed (OCDM)-based photonic layer security (PLS) system based on high-resolution control of the optical phase of tightly spaced phase locked laser lines. Such a PLS system is scaleable to 100 Gb/s and provides a protocol independent security solution. We review the use of high-resolution control of the optical phase of mode-locked laser frequency combs as an enabling technology for a new class of OCDM systems. A network based on such systems is compatible with and can have comparable spectral efficiency to existing DWDM networks. Through inverse multiplexing of 10 Gb/s tributaries, we have already demonstrated optical transmission of a 40 Gb/s aggregate OCDM signal over 400 km. Such a PLS solution is achieved through shared phase scrambling of the individual OCDM codes assigned to each of the tributaries using an integrated micro-ring resonator-based phase coder/scrambler. The confidentiality of OCDM-based PLS is robust against exhaustive, known plain text, and archival/forensic attacks, and can complement digital encryption operating at higher layers. Moreover, the integrity of the PLS solution is ensured through the inherent coupling to confidentiality, since knowledge of the key is needed in order to easily alter the transmitted data stream without introducing observable errors. This system can leverage advances in optical integration to support new applications where electronic encryption is impractical because of space, weight, power, availability, and cost requirements. Such applications range from timely security support for the emerging 100 GbE standards to all-optical multilevel security offered through the compatibility of PLS with transparent DWDM networks.