Quantum Auctions using Adiabatic Evolution: The Corrupt Auctioneer and Circuit Implementations

TL;DR

This paper explores quantum auction protocols using adiabatic evolution, analyzing privacy preservation, potential dishonesty by auctioneers, and quantum circuit implementations for secure and malicious scenarios.

Contribution

It introduces methods to secure quantum auctions against dishonest auctioneers and proposes quantum circuit designs for implementation and attack mitigation.

Findings

Privacy is preserved when the auctioneer follows protocol

Dishonest auctioneers can potentially violate privacy

Quantum circuits can implement and secure auction protocols

Abstract

We examine a proposed auction using quantum states to represent bids and distributed adiabatic search to find the winner. When the auctioneer follows the protocol, the final measurement giving the outcome of the auction also destroys the bid states, thereby preserving privacy of losing bidders. We describe how a dishonest auctioneer could alter the protocol to violate this privacy guarantee, and present methods by which bidders can counter such attacks. We also suggest possible quantum circuit implementations of the auctions protocol, and quantum circuits to perpetrate and to counter attacks by a dishonest auctioneer.