Physical layer security scheme for key concealment and distribution based on carrier scrambling

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to present a physical layer security scheme for key concealment and distribution based on carrier scrambling. The three-dimensional (3D) Lorenz system is used to generate independent chaotic sequences that encrypt the information with bit, constellation and subcarrier. In order to realize the flexible distribution of the key and ensure its security, the key information is loaded into a specific subcarrier. While key subcarrier and the ciphertext subcarrier are scrambled simultaneously. The encrypted key position information is processed and transmitted in conjunction with the training sequence (TS) to facilitate demodulation by the legitimate receiver. The processed TS can accommodate up to 10 key position information, thereby demonstrating the scheme's exceptional scalability. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme can safely transmit 131.80 Gb/s Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals across 2 km 7-core fiber. Meanwhile, the scheme enables simultaneous flexible distribution and concealment of the key, thereby offering a promising solution for physical layer security.