Quantum advantage in biometric authentication with single photons

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that using single photon quantum light sources in biometric authentication enhances efficiency by reducing resource requirements, leveraging quantum advantage in human visual system-based identification.

Contribution

It introduces a novel quantum approach to biometric authentication using single photon sources, showing improved resource efficiency over classical methods.

Findings

Quantum light sources reduce resource needs for biometric authentication.

Using single photons enhances the sensitivity of human visual system-based biometrics.

The approach offers deeper insights into human vision through quantum optics.

Abstract

It was recently proposed to use the human visual system's ability to perform efficient photon counting in order to devise a new biometric methodology. The relevant biometric fingerprint is represented by the optical losses light suffers along several different paths from the cornea to the retina. The fingerprint is accessed by interrogating a subject on perceiving or not weak light flashes, containing few tens of photons, so that the subject's visual system works at the threshold of perception, at which regime optical losses play a significant role. Here we show that if instead of weak laser light pulses we use quantum light sources, in particular single photon sources, we obtain a quantum advantage, which translates into a reduction of the resources required to achieve a desired performance. Besides the particular application on biometrics, our work further demonstrates that quantum light sources can provide deeper insights when studying human vision.