HP Labs Technical Reports

Quantum Cryptology

Lo, Hoi-Kwong

HPL-97-151

Keyword(s): cryptography; cryptanalysis; quantum cryptography; quantum cryptology

Abstract: The contest between code-makers and code-breakers has been going on for thousands of years. Recently, quantum mechanics has made a remarkable entry in the field. On the one hand, it is generally accepted that quantum cryptography can provide absolute security for communications between two users. On the other hand, code-breakers in possession of a quantum computer can easily break popular encryption schemes such as RSA and Data Encryption Standard (DES) which are essentially intractable by any classical computer.

34 Pages

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