Patent — available for licensing
Optical Transceiver Method of QKD Encryption Suite of Technologies
A NASA invention available to explore as a licensing opportunity.
About this technology
Overview
Overview The process of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) produces variable length symmetric bit strings at both communication nodes for each QKD operation. This system combines several technologies developed at NASA’s Glenn Research Center to create a secure, practical, and efficient optical transceiver system for QKD. The system uses a Space-And-Wave (SAW) division method to separate low-energy QKD photons from high-energy data transmissions. Unlike traditional methods that use entangled photons, this approach sends and receives encryption keys using weak coherent pulsed light and can be applied to the encryption of any free space optical communications. The technology includes methods for generating a random basis set on demand and for converting variable-length quantum keys into fixed-length keys compatible with mainstream symmetric encryption schemes.