A complete Classification of Quantum Public-key Encryption Protocols

TL;DR

This paper provides a comprehensive classification of quantum public-key encryption protocols based on the quantum or classical nature of six core elements, identifying which types have been constructed, which are impossible, and which remain unproposed.

Contribution

It offers the first complete classification scheme for quantum public-key encryption protocols, clarifying the landscape of existing and potential protocol types.

Findings

8 types of protocols have been constructed

52 types are proven impossible to construct

4 types remain unproposed and unexplored

Abstract

We present a classification of quantum public-key encryption protocols. There are six elements in quantum public-key encryption: plaintext, ciphertext, public-key, private-key, encryption algorithm and decryption algorithm. According to the property of each element which is either quantum or classical, the quantum public-key encryption protocols can be divided into 64 kinds. Among 64 kinds of protocols, 8 kinds have already been constructed, 52 kinds can be proved to be impossible to construct and the remaining 4 kinds have not been presented effectively yet. This indicates that the research on quantum public-key encryption protocol should be focus on the existed kinds and the unproposed kinds.