Data class-specific all-optical transformations and encryption

Diffractive optical networks provide rich opportunities for visual computing tasks since the spatial information of a scene can be directly accessed by a diffractive processor without requiring any digital pre-processing steps. Here we present data class-specific transformations all-optically performed between the input and output fields-of-view (FOVs) of a diffractive network. The visual information of the objects is encoded into the amplitude (A), phase (P), or intensity (I) of the optical field at the input, which is all-optically processed by a data class-specific diffractive network. At the output, an image sensor-array directly measures the transformed patterns, all-optically encrypted using the transformation matrices pre-assigned to different data classes, i.e., a separate matrix for each data class. The original input images can be recovered by applying the correct decryption key (the inverse transformation) corresponding to the matching data class, while applying any other key will lead to loss of information. The class-specificity of these all-optical diffractive transformations creates opportunities where different keys can be distributed to different users; each user can only decode the acquired images of only one data class, serving multiple users in an all-optically encrypted manner. We numerically demonstrated all-optical class-specific transformations covering A-->A, I-->I, and P-->I transformations using various image datasets. We also experimentally validated the feasibility of this framework by fabricating a class-specific I-->I transformation diffractive network using two-photon polymerization and successfully tested it at 1550 nm wavelength. Data class-specific all-optical transformations provide a fast and energy-efficient method for image and data encryption, enhancing data security and privacy.