Dual encryption scheme of images using polarized light

We propose and analyze a dual encryption/decryption scheme, motivated by recent interest in polarization encoding. Compared to standard optical encryption methods, which are based on phase and amplitude manipulation, this encryption procedure relying on Mueller-Stokes formalism provides large flexibility in the key encryption design. The effectiveness of our algorithm is discussed, thanks to a numerical simulation of the polarization encryption/decryption procedure of a 256 gray-level image. Of additional special interest is the immunity of this encryption algorithm to brute force attacks. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America