Multiple image encryption by phase retrieval

Multiple image encryption (MIE) was proposed to increase the efficiency of encrypting images by processing several images simultaneously. Because of the advantage of optical technology in processing twodimensional images at high throughput, MIE has been significantly improved by use of methods originating from optics. Phase retrieval was the process of algorithmically finding solutions to the phase loss problem due to light detectors only capturing the intensity. It was to retrieve phase information for the determination of a structure from diffraction data. Error-reduction algorithm is a typical phase retrieval method. Here, we employ it to illustrate that methods in phase retrieval are able to encrypt multiple images and compress them into encrypted data simultaneously. Moreover, the decryption is also designed to handle multiple images at the same time. The whole process including both the encryption and decryption is proposed to improve MIE with respect to the compression and efficiency. The feasibility and encryption of the MIE scheme is demonstrated with encryption experiments under Gaussian white noise and unauthorized access. © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI. [DOI: 10.1117/1.OE.55.7.073103]