Advanced Radio Frequency and Optical Connectivity to support Network-Centric Operations

NuCrypt is developing the technology for physical-layer optical encryption that exploits the intrinsic, irreducible noise of light. Our method, called AlphaEta, has fundamental and practical security benefits and the technology performs similarly as standard optical communications equipment. We have demonstrated AlphaEta in installed fiber-optic networks and have also built encrypted free-space optical links. While AlphaEta is inherently robust with standard optical equipment, such as fiber amplifiers, all-optical add-drop filters, and dispersion compensating fiber, it is currently applicable to ‘all-optical’ networks. Many military networks require interoperability with packet-oriented mesh-type networks which may combine various RF and optical technologies. We propose to extend AlphaEta physical encryption so that it can be integrated into such heterogeneous systems as a high-security feature. In Phase I, we will investigate how to build a protocol-agnostic system with automatic key management that can send data via traditional or AlphaEta style encryption. In particular, this will require a means of digitizing (regenerating) the optical AlphaEta signal and of having the capability to interface that signal with RF transmitters.