Information
This workshop aims to bring together experimentalists and theoreticians to solve some of the problems in implementing and developing cryptography from storage imperfections. The difficulty of storing quantum information has first been captured by the bounded-quantum-storage model and recently by the more general noisy-storage model. These models allow for the implementation of secure two-party computation such as secure password-based identification if we are willing to make the physical assumption that a cheating party only has access to an imperfect quantum-storage device. Otherwise, the cheating party may be all powerful. To execute the protocols, honest parties require no quantum storage at all.

The quantum part of the proposed protocols is identical to BB84-based quantum key distribution (QKD), with a different form of classical post-processing. Yet, due to the different nature of the applications, we face several experimental and theoretical challenges that set it apart from QKD. These protocols are particularly interesting at short distances where one would like to have a small, low-power, hand-held device that could be used for identification.

Experimental and theoretical questions thus include:

  • Can we build a portable device suitable for this task?
  • What security parameters can we hope to achieve in a practical implementation?
  • What are the best noise models for quantum memories?
  • Can we construct more efficient protocols, and extend the class of memories for which we can obtain useful security parameters?

Organizers

John Preskill
Christian Schaffner
Stephanie Wehner

Contact information

Travel and reimbursements: Ann Harvey (aharvey (at) caltech [dot] edu)
Workshop: Stephanie Wehner (swehner (at) caltech [dot] edu) and
Christian Schaffner (c.schaffner (at) cwi [dot] nl)

Sponsors