image: Schematic of the 1 Tb/s WDM transmission system (a) and BER/MI comparisons between IEAC and traditional methods (b, c). Legal users achieve effective communication, while eavesdroppers fail to decode information.
Credit: ©Science China Press
In a study published in National Science Review, researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University reported a novel integrated encryption and communication (IEAC) framework that combines robust security with high-capacity transmission performance. The system leverages end-to-end deep learning (E2EDL) to dynamically optimize geometric constellation shaping (GCS), achieving a record 1 Tb/s secure transmission over 1,200 km of optical fibre—a milestone in high-capacity, long-haul secure fibre communications.
Traditional secure communication methods, such as quantum key distribution (QKD) and chaotic encryption, often sacrifice transmission speed for security. The IEAC framework eliminates this trade-off by integrating encryption directly into the communication process. Using E2EDL, the system maximizes mutual information (MI) for authorized users while reducing MI for eavesdroppers to near-zero levels. Experimental results demonstrated MI values below 0.2 bits per symbol for illegal users, rendering intercepted data indistinguishable from noise.
The IEAC framework employs a dynamic GCS scheme, where each transmitted symbol is encrypted using a unique key derived from high-speed random number generators. This one-time pad-like encryption ensures security without degrading transmission quality. In a 26-channel wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) setup spanning the full C-band (3.9 THz bandwidth), the system maintained a bit error rate (BER) below 2×10⁻² even under nonlinear fibre distortions.
“Our work bridges the gap between security and transmission performance in optical communications,” said Prof. Lilin Yi, corresponding author of the study. “By embedding encryption into the physical layer, IEAC paves the way for secure, high-throughput networks capable of supporting AI-driven data demands.”
The IEAC framework’s scalability and compatibility with existing infrastructure position it as a transformative solution for global data centers, cloud services, and future 6G networks.
See the article:
Experimental Demonstration of Integrated Encryption and Communication over Optical Fibre
Journal
National Science Review